


A New Reality

by PierceTheVeils, To Die Upon A Kiss (Probity_Probe)



Series: A New Reality [2]
Category: Winx Club
Genre: Alternate Character Interpretation, Epic Friendship, Female Friendship, Gen, POV Female Character, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Plot, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-01-20 02:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1493074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PierceTheVeils/pseuds/PierceTheVeils, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Probity_Probe/pseuds/To%20Die%20Upon%20A%20Kiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One's a spoiled princess, isolated and lonely. One's delusional, trapped in her own head. One's a visionary, serially underestimated. One's an agent, sent to survey a planet she doesn't understand. And the last one never meant to stay long at Alfea, or to make any friends while she was there.<br/>None of them expected to become roommates and friends, or to save the galaxy.</p>
<p>Winx Club S1 rewrite with a heaping bowl of RAI, a scoop of 4Kids, and a liberal sprinkling of the comic-verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stella and Bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completed April 19, 2014, 11:38 PM ET

 The Prolix Initiative:

Five thousand years ago, at the dawn of the second Great Age, the Council of Realms united the most powerful planets of the Magic Dimension, with the goal of promoting peace and civil discourse among all the realms as the planets grew interconnected.

The first item on the Council’s agenda was finding a means of universal communication: poor translation was among the factors behind the first Interrealm War. Three hundred of the best spellcrafters and runists of the Council Realms were recruited for the job, headquartered in the Royal University on the realm of Prolix, which still exists today. It took them –and later, their descendants– seventy-nine years to work out a basic translation spell between the languages of the six members of the Council at the time.The fifty most powerful mages of the Dimension were transported to the capital of Prolix for the actual implementation of the spell, which required twenty hours of chanting without rest, a feat that went unmatched for millennia and caused five to die from magical exhaustion.

The spell extended over six planets, their moons and all of their territory at the time, and has been expanded constantly since then. As of the publishing of this article, the translation spell encompasses almost the entire universe, even forgotten, uncolonized, and minor realms, bridging the gap between the written and spoken languages of different realms and species. Those excluded include Old Whisperian, Veccan Dragon, Mermish, Spherian, and any languages that had died out at the time of casting, such as Vishnian.

The spell itself was designed in a new language created for the purpose of casting the spell, which was itself imbued with magic by the mages involved. The language, Runic, has since become the most widely used and taught casting language in the Magic Dimension, and is a requisite course at the famous Alfea College for Fairies as well as many other highly-rated magical schools in the dimension. It is now considered one of the greatest feats of magic of all time for its durability and sheer area of effect.

\- Elluvia Velaqua, The Realmweb Encyclopedia of the Magical Dimension

_To subscribe, scan your magical signature into the contact database and we'll keep you updated with the latest entries! Billing will be conducted via homing spell, so please remove any anti-tracking charms within one week of signing up._

* * *

Stella of Solaria stood at the door to the Tea Room, listening to her parents argue, and wishing more than anything that being the heir allowed her to compel people against their will.

She had spent most of this morning relatively at peace with the world: she'd spent it packing her new back-to-school wardrobe with Nova. Then, Nova had ditched her ( _don't think about it_ ) and her father had summoned her to the sacred Tea Room. And not for tea, as it turned out.

Her mother had been there, which was the major sign that something was wrong since Stella's parents hadn't spoken for months. They'd talked at length about some nobles trying to steal the throne, and they'd said that Stella needed to bind herself magically to the Solaria ring for their line to even stand a chance. Even though it was illegal for minors to participate in binding rituals on Solaria.

But that was the way things went. You might start out the day okay, but then your best friend would leave, your separated parents would rope you into an illegal blood ritual disguised as an invitation to tea, and then you'd get your palm slashed by a mad priestess. The words of the Sun Priestess still rang in her head:

_"Binding you to the Ring will increase your power threefold. It will allow you to transport yourself to anywhere you have seen, even in an image reproduction: anywhere that the light of your eyes has touched. You will become sunlight itself: you will travel faster than light, disregarding the physical rules of matter transfer. But this power comes with a price._

_With the ring, you will be fire itself, but without, you will be nearly powerless. This effect can only be overcome by a cataclysmic event; becoming an Enchantix fairy, or changing your alignment. Changing from fairy to witch, for example."_

Stella had still chosen to do it. A cut across her palm was a small price to pay to have her parents working on the same side again, she'd thought at the time.

 _Except, well,_  she thought, watching them from the doorway,  _my parents' inability to get along apparently runs deeper than the problems in the realm._

"Stop trying to make me the aggressor here! I wasn't the one who had the insane idea to try breaking the law! I didn't send my spies into my husband's court! I didn't force Stella into agreeing to magical laws that she clearly doesn't understand!" That was her father's voice, sounding harsher than she'd ever heard it before.

"I didn't force her," replied Luna bitterly. "Your notions of free will and 'Enlightenment' principles are going to get us murdered in our beds! What's the use of realm-wide civil protection if Stella's dead?"

"You dare–"

The Queen let out a caustic laugh. "I wasn't the one who created a Parliament and put limits on our power. You've tied our hands with this "limited monarchy" business. It was the best alternative. Binding Stella to the Ring will force the nobles to consider us. They will think twice before sending their assassins. We will be a force to be reckoned with. I was the one who created that option, so yes, I dare."

"You speak of 'we' and 'us', as if this home, this kingdom is still yours?" came Radius's voice, almost unrecognizably cold. "I wasn't the one who abandoned their family. You shouldn't have bothered coming back."

_Oh...no._

Stella realized just after she did it that she had let out an audible gasp. She jerked back from the doorframe with her hand over her mouth.

"I-" said Luna, then cut off her sentence before she could finish it. "There's someone here." Stella backed away from the door, feeling as though someone had punched her in the stomach.

"Stella? Darling?"

Her mother was going after her, but Stella didn't want to see her anymore.

She wanted her parents to stop arguing. She wanted to not exist. She wanted the ground to swallow her up.

Stella's hands were clenched into fists, tight enough to hurt. She managed to open her hand and activate the power of her Ring. She'd never done this before, but anything was better than remaining here. She wasn't going to wait to say goodbye.

"Solaria!" she said, because it felt right. She threw the Ring up in the air and it grew to its scepter form. She caught it and thought of Callisto, and a certain fairy called Varanda who had sent her a message this morning. She shut her eyes and her body tingled. She heard footsteps coming down the hall toward her, but she'd already left in a flash of light.

She was glad that she was gone before the tears came.

* * *

Stella was light years away from Solaria, traveling in and out of space like a needle through fabric. She wasn't manifesting fully, so much as bouncing on top of the Real: like a stone skipping on the surface of a lake. She felt light, happy, free enough to almost forget about her parents.

And then it all went wrong. The light began to bend around her. Wind came from behind with alarming force, forcing her breath out of her lungs. Something hot hit her in the shoulder. She felt the portal swerve, like a change in current.

Her scream caught at the back of her throat. She caught a glimpse of a darkly beautiful figure, and then she was out of reality again, coasting through an iridescent tunnel created by her Ring's warp drive.

"What–"

She tumbled for a moment, her flight pattern becoming less graceful, and then she snapped back to reality.

She got there just in time to see the figure crumple, crushed by the pressure of space, and then dissipate into a purple fog. By the light of a nearby star, Stella could see where the creature's spell had caught her. Her shoulder was cut, leaking tiny droplets of blood that floated out into the endless space. The edges of the wound were purple.

She snapped back to the tunnel, which was flickering. She thought, somehow, that it had to do with her emotional state. She had to calm down, except she didn't know how. She knew that if she lost control entirely, she would manifest fully and die in space, her bones broken, her lungs crushed. Her body would float, never decaying, forever.  _Well, that's cheerful,_ she thought.

She reappeared in reality. She was caught in the gravity of the planet now, falling more than flying. She tumbled past asteroids and populated moons toward the large planet that stretched below her. She wasn't bouncing anymore. She was locked in a freefall, stuck in reality.

She closed her eyes and tried to think peaceful thoughts.

She fell, headfirst, toward the royal palace of Callisto.

 

 

[ ](http://tituslunter.deviantart.com/art/Forest-387298607)

 

 

Stella entered Callisto royal airspace as a flaming meteor, trailing a tail of fire that threatened to scorch the royal lawn. King Telmar of House Rykiel, ruler of Callisto, stared out of the window and wrung his hands, wishing that he had bought a proper air force instead of a marble boat. His wife, Thalassa, stood by the door of the palace and conjured a gigantic net, which she ordered the butlers to carry out onto the lawn. They were understandably reluctant.

The meteor flamed inevitably toward the lawn, causing everyone to close their eyes. It would cause a gigantic scorch mark on the grass, if it wasn't cursed to set the entire planet ablaze. And then, it disappeared, about fifteen meters above the ground.

A girl appeared in its place. She was tall and blonde, wearing wedges and an orange ensemble, reminiscent of religious garb on Solaria, except for the fact that it showed off most of her stomach. She stumbled over to the Queen, who immediately put a hand over her heart and swooned. Her head hit a pillar, and the queen tried to pretend she'd tripped.

"Hi," said Stella. "I'm Stella, the princess of the realm of Solaria. Varanda called me." She pulled out her phone, showing it to the Queen and the butlers, who had abandoned the giant net and were gathered around her, whispering. "On her crystal ball? And, yeah. I decided to... show...up." She put her hand up to her forehead. "Oh, Dragon," she whispered. This had not been one of her better ideas. _  
_

The Queen took advantage of the situation and keeled over directly into the circle of butlers.

In a moment, Stella found herself being escorted by the remaining servants down a wide hall made of some kind of shiny stone, and she soon reached the chamber where Varanda was accepting visitors. She supposed that she could count herself lucky that they had gone to cotillion together, or she would have faced execution for what she just did.

"Oh, Stella!" cried her friend as soon as she caught sight of Stella. She was reclined on a purple chaise lounge, wearing a beautiful sheer dress that was wet from tear stains. Her curly brown hair looked wild.

"Hi, sweetie," Stella said as Varanda ran to hug her. They'd become friends somewhere in the middle of attending Princess Cotillion together. Along with another girl, Princess Argos of Prolix, they'd formed an odd trio, bonding over a common hatred of table setting.

"What's wrong?" said Stella.

"Oh my Dragon, I've been seeing suitors all day and I'm sore all over. I had to pretend to faint to get out of the Courting Chamber; the princes are still waiting out there. You got my message, didn't you?"

"Yeah, of course. I got it on my phone." Stella pulled out the orange flip to show Varanda, who reeled back in shock.

"What is that? Is this some of that cheap Zenith stuff that they use to spy on people?"

Stella resisted the urge to put her hand over her face. That was the thing about Varanda. Once you got to know her, she had absolutely no filter.

"No, it's just a phone. It's like a crystal ball, except it's far more portable and runs off combined magic and technology, so if the spells wear off, there's still a signal."

"What's a signal?"

Stella sighed. "Okay, never mind. What were you going to ask me?" Varanda jumped. "Oh, I forgot. My parents decided to find me a husband early, so I'll be staying home and getting tutors instead of going to Alfea while I prepare to be a wife." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter: I'm no good at magic anyway. And Mommy says that her mages found dark tracking spells around Magix. She says that someone might be spying on the three great schools. Or maybe one of the schools is spying on the others. She tried to tell the three Headmasters, but they didn't listen."

She walked across the room to her dresser, a large, rounded thing made of the fine dark wood that was so common to Callisto. She opened a drawer, and passed her an envelope, embossed with the double-spiral seal of Callisto and her name. The translation spell worked the foreign characters into a language Stella could understand.

"This is my letter to Faragonda," said Varanda. "I need you to give it to her for me." She looked down. "I did want to go to Alfea with you, Stella. It's just that my parents need me more. It's-it's the money, we've spent too much of it on trifles, and I can't…"

"Shhh," said Stella. She pulled the smaller girl into a hug. She didn't want to hear her go on. It was just that her words rung too closely to others she'd heard this morning.

And she knew they didn't mean it; it was just that everyone seemed to be abandoning Stella today.

"Thank you so much for coming," said Varanda once she gathered herself. "Your friendship means so much to me. I'm so glad that I met you. You were my first friend, even though we only knew each other for a while." Her eyes were burning with a new fire, but her words sounded like goodbye.

"Varanda, don't."

"-I know Callisto is an out-of the way, backwards planet, but we do have some power on the Council of Realms. If you ever need anything, at all, then I'll be there. Though it might be years, I think we'll see each other again." She smiled. "And just think. Next time, we'll both be queens."

"Varanda," said Stella, realizing something. "Where are your glasses?"

"Oh." She smiled weakly. "I had my eyes fixed, because I need to look pretty before I go into seclusion. I have to look at only beautiful things, even in the mirror, for sixty days before the consummation. It's tradition."

A butler appeared at the door, with a frowning Queen Thalassa following behind. "Princess Varanda is needed in the Royal Courting Chamber. Now."

"And Princess Stella needs to take her leave," the queen added.

"Bye, hon," she said, planting a kiss on her cheek. "You'll be alright," she said, knowing it wasn't true.

Then she let go of Varanda before the Queen or the butler could say anything, and tossed her Ring into the air, thinking of Alfea.

"Solaria!"

Then she was gone, shooting faster than a comet past asteroids and dying stars. This time, the path was quicker, with her focus driven by anger and frustration, but her thoughts were scattered, disjointed; the warp tunnel flickered every millisecond or so. She was afraid that if she let up the least amount, she would shatter into a million pieces.

After a ridiculously short amount of time, she was careening toward Magix and its forests stretched out below her. She entered its gravity field, flying fast, and flickered into reality.

She never saw where the spells came from.

The blasts hit her in the face, the thigh, and the stomach, and reality broke. She fell up, tumbling in the wrong direction. The Real vanished, replaced by the Ring's warp tunnel, and then she landed in a galaxy she didn't recognize, near a blue-and-green planet that she had only seen in a book of "Forgotten Realms" in history class.

She was caught in its gravitational field, trapped by an unstoppable force, and she fell, faster than sound, into its atmosphere.  _To think that I started this day in my bedroom, picking out clothes._

She landed in a grey field unlike any she'd ever seen before, covered in sharp rocks and bits of debris. Closing the area in was a fence topped with some sort of sharp wire.

A familiar figure was waiting for her. He was wearing his usual purple overalls, and he was surrounded by ghouls. He'd followed her here? When she hadn't even planned on coming?

"Can't say I was looking forward to seeing you again," she sneered, eyes on the gap in the fence, and then she ran, flat-out, through it and out, into the alien city.

But she only made it as far as the park.

* * *

A red-headed girl stalked through an alley with her bicycle, ducking back inside when she saw her ex-boyfriend walking down the street with his friends. She didn't want Andy to see her as she was.

Her hair was mussed, her expression blank. If anyone had been there to talk to her, they would wonder if she was actually listening; or indeed, if she knew that they were there. In the basket of her bike, a blue-and-white rabbit blinked up at her, eyes filled with a worry that was almost human.

"Flight," she whispered. The word had two meanings, and both of them were things she wanted to do. Being here was better than going back. She'd done things she couldn't explain. She suspected that she'd done other things that she couldn't remember.

"-hot blonde," Bloom heard Mark say, waving his hands as if tracing a woman's curves, while Andy and Ryo nodded, and then they walked too far away for her to hear any more.

She felt a strange sense of loss. Everyone had abandoned her; her friends, her boyfriend, her adopted parents. Her friends had tried, at first, to keep in touch, but they'd stopped coming over eventually. That was exactly why she left her phone at home.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," she said to Kiko. She hoped he understood that this was an apology. She climbed onto her bike and rode down the street toward Gardenia Park. Something told her that was where she needed to be.

* * *

Stella had expected to transform, to feel the power of all the generations of Solarian rulers, and to feel it binding with hers, magnifying it threefold. She'd known, in the corner of her mind, that fighting the ghouls and the troll all at once would be the hardest thing that she had ever done.

She'd tried not to think of it, as she was running terrified down alien streets, past people who didn't seem to notice the ogre trailing behind her.

And she had transformed. The power was greater than anything she'd ever felt before. The Sun Priestess was right; she wasn't on fire. She was fire.

So, understandably, she was surprised to be losing three minutes into the bout.

It happened quickly. She was holding her her own, casting spells that made her freshman incantations look like sparklers, when the ogre stepped out of the shadows and charged. She'd tensed, ready to jump upward, but his fist flew out unexpectedly and sent her flying. She hit the ground hard, seeing sparks behind her eyelids, and then she was covered in the sharp hands of ghouls, being held down, unable to even scream. She tried to hold on as her scepter was wrenched from her.

Her power narrowed as if it was a thread tied to the scepter, threatening to snap. She was feeling her magic getting ripped away from her. So this is what the Priestess meant.

And then…

A female voice spoke in the alien language of this place. Her words resolved themselves quickly into ones that Stella could understand, even though she couldn't comprehend at all why she was saying them– _go away, you idiot!_ she thought.

"Leave her alone," said the unfamiliar voice, "or I'll...call the police." And then reality broke, again, when the girl, instead of dying, cast several spells that sent first the ghouls, then the ogre, flying like bowling pins. Stella reclaimed her scepter and finished off the battle, without even calling her attack.

That left just them, standing in the clearing, staring at each other. Stella sized up her rescuer. She was tall, almost Stella's height, with long red hair and skin pale enough to show the blue veins under her eyes. She was a bit too lean but looked lucid, more like a chronic under-eater than a drug addict.

She was blinking in the light, as if she hadn't been outside for a long time. She was wearing a blue top that reached just past her navel and light blue pants embroidered with stars.

"You've got magic powers," said Stella. "An NMB with magic powers. That's new."

The girl was staring at her hands. "Yeah, well, lots of interesting things are happening today," she said, slightly dry in tone. Then she looked up at Stella. An oddly hungry expression came over her face, making her look even more like she needed a snack.

"Hey, are you a fairy princess?"

"Such a weird day," said Stella. She was beginning to get a head rush.  _I could actually faint right now,_  she mused.

Then she swayed and fell to the ground, doing her best Queen Thalassa imitation.

* * *

The redhead watched as the girl's clothing changed to an orange skirt-and-top combination and wedge heels, and attached wings that mimicked her real-life ones. "Flight," she said again. It would have to wait, because she'd just gotten an idea.

Behind her, Kiko put his paw to his forehead in hopeless exasperation.

Bloom loaded the girl onto the seat of her bike, propped her feet up on the crossbars, and wheeled her home, sticking to the shadows of the darkest alleys, all the way up to the garage door of her house. Her parents were waiting in the living room when she got back, sporting worried expressions and asking too many questions, until she finally told them that the girl was her second cousin, visiting from far away, and she needed to sleep off her jet lag on the couch.

"Don't ever worry us like that again," said Vanessa when the fairy was safely tucked in. There was a scared look on her face as she wrapped Bloom up in her arms, pulling her close. Bloom's father hung back at the door to the garage, looking uncharacteristically skittish.

"You know, sweetie, that road trip you mentioned could work out after all. Maybe you could go to La Jolla like you said."

Bloom looked at her quizzically. She remembered talking about a road trip, but nothing else. "Mom, when have I ever said anything about La Jolla?" She laughed lightly. "Anyway, all that's going to change. I have a feeling that this is the start of something great."

She walked breezily up the stairs to her room, leaving her mom where she was.

She had to clear away three layers of taped-up drawings to reach her mirror, but when she did, she smiled at what she saw. She didn't remember putting this outfit together, but it was a good choice. It worked with the image she was creating in her mind. It made her look younger than she really was.

She smiled innocently at her reflection, pitching her voice a bit higher than normal.

"Hi, I'm Bloom!" she said.

She spent the rest of the morning cleaning out every single drawing in her room, opening the window to air things out, and packing away all her fairy books. She didn't want the fairy to think she was a geek.

When she was done, she lay down on her bed and slept, feeling lucid for the first time in ages. And when Bloom woke, she felt ready to meet her destiny.

* * *

When Stella woke up, it was already dark, and several things had changed. Most obviously, she no longer was injured. The magic of the Ring had been working under her skin to heal her wounds, knitting the skin back together until all that remained were a few marks. The red-head showed signs of healing as well. She looked well-rested and more put together already. But there was something different about her. It was in her voice, in the way she carried herself.

Her voice seemed higher, somehow, almost piping. There was a ringing cheer in everything she said, and it never. Went. Away.

"Hi, I'm Bloom," she said, and kept smiling even while speaking. "Who are you?"

Stella stared at her a minute. "Princess Stella," she said. "Of Solaria."

"Where's that?"

"Right along the inner ring of-" Stella paused, noticing that Bloom was confused. "Far away. Another dimension."

They talked more. Stella had the pleasure of explaining everything from her ring to the Alfea school to three NMBs with no conception of how magic worked. It was frustrating work: Bloom got more excited with every word, while her parents threatened to call the police until she was finally forced to turn their phone into a cabbage.

It was only then she even noticed the bunny. There was something uncanny about the way that it was looking at her...

"Hey, come see my room!" squealed Bloom, dragging Stella by her arm, up to a clean, small bedroom done up in pink and yellow, and the rabbit was pushed out of Stella's mind.

It was only then that Stella remembered. "Wait, I saw you doing magic too! Last night!"  _Does that mean-_

"Oh yeah, I did it again," Bloom paused for a second, then began to chatter away. Stella hadn't followed the entire way, but apparently Bloom had found her powers when a fire started in her school. Stella couldn't help but feel the girl had exaggerated, but congratulated her anyway.

 _Well, if she's a fairy, why is she here?_  Stella wondered. _Earth doesn't have magic. Where would she learn to control it?_

Then it hit her. She wouldn't have to play delivery service for Varanda after all!

Stella didn't trust herself with the ring anymore, so she'd need to get a ride somehow. Besides, she still had to convince Bloom to come with her. Why not do both things with one call?

The Earth girl's giddy mood persisted, and Stella began to seriously wonder what Earth water had in it. Even when the ogre visited her again, this time with a blue buddy, she was the only one in the family not to freak out. Maybe she didn't think it was real.

Even when the heroes came and took the troll away, Bloom didn't even flirt as literal magical boys saved their lives. Stella couldn't put it together.

From what she could see, Bloom was the kind of person who had no secrets and no problems, Stella thought, who had a heart filled only with innocence. That dry-humored girl from the park was completely gone. Stella began to wonder if she'd imagined her. But even if Bloom had a high-pitched voice, and a self-righteous tone, she was still a fairy, and Stella owed her one.

Maybe, just maybe, she could become a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Image Credits: Forest by TitusLunter on DeviantArt. Click the image to see the source. Used with permission of the artist: check out more of his amazing digital paintings at his gallery, [here.](http://tituslunter.deviantart.com/gallery/)
> 
> This is a collaborative work of PierceTheVeils and me, To die upon a kiss. We hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
> This story is also available on fanfiction.net, under the name PierceTheVeils. This will be a long work that will cover the entirety of season one, with added detail.  
> I consider this a sequel to Sneaking Out.  
> Thanks,  
> TDUAK
> 
> Yay, we finally posted the first chapter! We've only been planning this since December, but I think it was worth it.
> 
> Like my co, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say about it. As always, feel free to leave any comments you might have in a review. Thank you so much, and I'll see you on the far side!  
> PierceTheVeils  
> 


	2. Flora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One's a spoiled princess, isolated and lonely. One's delusional, trapped in her own head. One's a visionary, serially underestimated. One's an agent, sent to survey a planet she doesn't understand. And the last one never meant to stay long at Alfea, or to make any friends while she was there.  
> None of them expected to become roommates and friends, or to save the galaxy.
> 
> Winx Club S1 rewrite with a heaping bowl of RAI, a scoop of 4Kids, and a liberal sprinkling of the comic-verse.
> 
> Chapter Two: Rated T for "tears" and "two." As in two swearwords.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completed June 9, 2014 2:42 ET. Edited: July 17, 2017.

The Alfea Code of Behavior (Abridged)

Last updated by Deputy Headmistress Griselda Fordollo

1\. You must follow all of the rules in the Code of Behavior.

2\. There will be absolutely no unsupervised use of magic in the corridors, empty classrooms,  _or_ Potions laboratories.

3\. Stay away from the Witches of Cloud Tower. This particular rule lacks a punishment, since the ones that the witches inflict will almost certainly be worse.

4\. Curfew is at 28 o'clock (which is four hours before midnight on Magix.) Lateness will not be tolerated.

5\. Classes start at 8 o'clock. Again, lateness will not be tolerated.

6\. No marriages shall be conducted between an Alfea student and another student at any school while said student is under Alfea tutelage.

7\. Usage of the secret passages underneath the school is forbidden, in the unlikely event that any of these passages exist.

8\. It is strictly forbidden to open any unmarked doors in the Potions wing of Alfea, especially if one sees a sticky pink goo oozing from beneath the door.

9\. It is strictly forbidden to open any unmarked doors in the old classroom wing of Alfea. Especially if one sees blood or hears screaming coming from inside.

10\. It is strictly forbidden to open any doors marked "Labyrinth," "Griffin stables," "Dungeon," "Brain," or "Enter Please," no matter their placement within the school or how nicely they may ask you. Be aware that Alfea is classified as a Type-A Sentient Edifice under the Magic Historical Council, and so its less-used rooms may be prone to movement, depending on how the building feels on a particular day.

11\. Forbidden magical substances, spells, and potions found in any fairy's possession will be instantly confiscated and, as necessary, reported to the local law enforcement. See Code of Behavior Section ቡ, subsection ሚ for the complete list.

12\. No physical weapons of any kind are allowed on the premises. As a school that teaches magic strictly for the purpose of self-improvement and social preparation, Alfea prohibits tools of war.

13\. No classrooms may be used by a student unless a teacher is present for supervision.

14\. No fighting between students of any kind will be accepted outside of self-defense class, and even then must be strictly supervised.

15\. No alcohol, smokeable substances, or non-magical drugs are allowed on the school premises. Any student found in possession or to be using such substances will meet the same fate outlined in rule 11.

Etcetera...

Consequences:

A single violation of the above rules will be punished with transmogrification into a frog; a double simultaneous violation will result in the revocation of one's power. A triple will result in immediate expulsion, no exceptions.

* * *

The bright star hung high in the sky, shedding warm light onto the small planet. Magix was mainly green, covered in magical forest, but it was also home to the most magical city and three of the best colleges in the entire dimension.

At the time, it was noon. Down in the valley between the Barrier Mountains, a pink castle sparkled, but not as brightly as the assembly of people who gathered in its courtyard. Fairies from every corner of the magical dimension were forming a circle, because it was Alfea College's first day of school. New friends and old acquaintances chatted happily. In the center of the quadrangle, Deputy Headmistress Griselda waved her hands for silence, which she received immediately.

"This school will be your home for the next five years. But this  _home_ can cease to be yours at any given moment. The rules of this institution are based on  _discipline,_ and we adhere to a strict Code of Behavior. Now, the first rule in the Code of Behavior is, you must follow all rules in the Code of Behavior..."

The fairies looked on, sufficiently cowed as Griselda continued. They had come from realms far and wide to attend the most prestigious institution for fairies in the Magic Dimension. Most of them were rich, noble, or both. They were the daughters of royalty, presidents, or top barristers and nearly all of them had gone to exclusive finishing schools before enrolling in Alfea.

Some, however, weren't any of the above. Alfea did have a scholarship program for high-achieving commoners. The requirements were stringent; grades, base power, and (despite no one admitting it) attractiveness were numbered among them.

Flora, Linphean Fairy of Nature, was one of these lucky peasants. No one needed to tell her that she was in hopelessly over her head. She now realized she'd stumbled into a crowd of unreachable sophisticates. All of them probably knew each other from the same private school.

"Break the rules once, and you will be turned into a frog..." said Griselda.

Were there side effects to being turned into a frog, mental or physical? Flora supposed that the Headmistress wouldn't allow it as a punishment if students were, say, eating flies for days afterward as a result, but  _still_. She'd have to read up on that.

Just then, the Headmistress came out onto the lawn, flanked by three of her teachers. The famed Faragonda was barely taller than Flora,with white hair that sparkled in the noonday sun. If one watched, one would see a twinkle of intelligence in her squinting eyes. She was someone who radiated tranquility, mixed with genuine love of life.

"I hope Griselda didn't scare you too much," she said, and around the circle, the other girls visibly relaxed. It wasn't a spell, Flora noted. Just kindness and a surprising sincerity.

"Welcome, one and all, to Alfea. I'm Ms. Faragonda, your headmistress. I'm an Alfea alumna and a former fairy godmother." She turned and led them past a fountain to a part of the castle that faced the gate. With a snap of her fingers, the two double doors at the entrance sprung open. They entered a large, open foyer with stairs that disappeared off to the left and right.

"This year we have quite a wonderful class. Some of you will fight evil, some will grant wishes, and many of you are princesses who will take over your realms, but our goals are the same for everyone: to help each of you become the very best you can be; to become the beautiful, graceful butterflies that I know you all are."

From the corner of her eye, Flora saw the infamous Princess Stella mouthing along to Faragonda's words. It looked like she had everything figured out.

She cringed. Flora hoped the girl didn't blow up anything this year. Especially if she was in the room with her.

"This is the end of our orientation session, seeing as all of you had taken the tour before you applied. Now, feel free to explore the grounds, meet your roommates and enjoy the campus. But remember: the last bus in is at 27:30, and curfew is at 28 o'clock! Breakfast will be at seven tomorrow morning. Please be punctual! Now go on and have fun!"

There was a slight buzz in Flora's ears as the translation spell worked out all the numbers, making them into figures she could understand. The translation spell was fascinating and she had only seen it in action a few times. Maybe she could find a book on it later. But since it would be kind of sad to spend her first day at school in the library, she hurried up the stairs to the dormitories first.

* * *

 

The apartment was light and airy. It was arranged in a U-fashion around a central lounge with a door to the hall. Her particular door was on the left side of the lounge, and, according to the sign, she was sharing an apartment with a girl called "Varanda of Callisto" – and, _oh no_ , the Princess Stella would be bunking in the same dormitory.

But she had another issue to think about.  _Varanda of Callisto._ She hadn't heard the name before, but people didn't get titles that mentioned their planets unless they were important. In a dimension with millions of realms and trillions of beings, it didn't matter where you came from...unless you were somebody special. Definitely a princess then.

Her heart sunk even more when she opened the door and saw the apartment they would share. Clearly, she and her roommate had nothing in common.

The room was a study in contrasts. Flora's space, on the closer side of the room, was painted a calm lilac and shaded with a lily palm; Varanda's was a bright pink made even brighter by the open window. The princess's area was crammed with books and paper and pictures of things she'd never get to see. All of Flora's possessions (her suitcase of clothes, her books, her talking plant, Mariel) fit in a corner, clothing hardly taking a third of her vast closet space.

Seeing that she was the first to arrive, Flora decided to peek into the other rooms, which she justified to herself as scouting for possible friends. There was another non-princess across the hall, so there might be promise in that relationship. Teen Fairy magazine said that your room reflected your personality, so she didn't feel too bad about glancing in all of them. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to be compatible with hers. The first room clockwise around the hall was done up in blue and green, with a decor that could only be described as spaceship-meets-punk-rock. She sensed a clash in personalities here.  _Would it even work between those two?_

The only other room, a single which belonged to the infamous Princess Stella, was so bright and sunny that it blinded her upon first glance. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that it also happened to be decked out with every amenity: wall-to-wall wardrobe, high ceiling, even floating stairs that led up into what could only be more storage space. Back on Linphea, there could have been an entire family living in a home this size!

 _Well, look on the bright side. Maybe she'll spend all her time in there and_ not  _in the Potions Lab, blowing things up._

She walked back to her room, closed the door, and stroked Mariel's stem sadly. "Looks like I'll be spending a lot of time in the library again. Well, at least I'll be home before curfew," she said and tried to sound happy about the prospect.

" _You got a room all to yourself?"_ said a high voice from behind the door to her apartment. " _Lucky, I got a roommate."_ A moment later, a redheaded girl in a short blue top and light blue pants entered the room. Flora stayed in the corner, watching as the girl came closer.

She moved strangely. Her expression was very hard to read. On the surface, it seemed almost childlike, with her exaggerated gestures and wide eyes. But something about it wasn't right.

Suddenly, she came barging forward. Flora stepped to the side. Surely she'd stop before she reached Mariel - she wouldn't step on the plant, would she? 

 _I guess not,_ Flora thought as Mariel let out a piercing scream. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said the girl to the plant. "I didn't see you there." She looked up and saw Flora. "Or you!" She smiled. "Is this yours?"

"Mariel is a talking plant. _She's_ my latest creation," Flora said, sending a quick burst of healing energy to her plant. "Oh, and I'm Flora! So nice to meet you!"

"So nice to meet  _you!"_ said the redhead. "That's so cool! Stella, come in here! My roommate's plant talks! You have to see!"

The princess in question entered the room with a flourish, swishing her blond hair behind her. There was a smile on her face that masked a barely-suppressed disinterest.  _Why is she making that face?_

"It's nice to meet you, Flora," said Stella. She directed her gaze at her friend, the redhead. "I've seen this a couple times at the Solarian harvest festivals." She looked back at Flora, that challenge still in her gaze. "You used a talking enchantment, right? That's cool. You'll have to tell me which spellbook you got that from."

 _Hardly,_ thought Flora. A 'talking enchantment' barely described the lengthy process of cloning, planting, repotting and fertilizing she'd had to go through to help Mariel grow, not to mention the research and spellcasting that it took to make a talking plant that mimicked humans. But Flora smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure to tell you."

The redhead (who must be Varanda) looked between them, not appearing to notice anything amiss. "Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Bloom." Princess Stella nudged her in the ribs.

"I mean," she said, laughing lightly and backing away to glance at the door, "Bloom is a name I like a lot, but it's not my name. My real name is...Varanda, of Callisto."

"Oh my!" said Bloom/Varanda, bumping into someone in the doorway, and then a newcomer entered. She had to be about the strangest person that Flora had ever seen. She was about a hand's width shorter than Flora. Her hair was a violent shade of magenta, and she wore a purple ensemble with capris and a top that showed her midriff, all made of some kind of shimmery synthetic fabric. Her skin was the strangest: the other girls were a bit pale by Linphean standards, but still showed signs of a healthy glow. This one looked like she'd been living underground.

"Walking backward is illogical," said the girl. "You're from Callisto, in the fourth realm of the Magic Dimension's upper ring, correct? That is quite a long way away."

"Yes, that's me!" said Varanda. "What's your name?"

"I am known by Tecna."

"Hi, I'm Stella!" said the blonde princess. Tecna frowned a bit, noticing her.

"I know. You've been mentioned. According to the older students, you are quite notorious." Apparently, Tecna shared Flora's opinion about their roommate. The difference was that Flora knew how to  _hide_ her irritation. Tecna's appeared plainly on her face, making Flora cringe.

"Hey, they paid all the damages," Varanda said, rather cheerily, considering the situation. You would think that she was discussing the weather and not a potions accident.

"That was mentioned in the information session as well." Tecna abruptly turned away from them and knelt, opened the blue suitcase that she was carrying. She rummaged in it for a few seconds before snapping it shut and standing up with a few leaflets.

"Griselda distributed these during our orientation. They're copies of the Code of Behavior. I took the liberty of taking extra, in case my roommates were unprepared. Would you all like some?"

"Um, Tecna," Flora said quietly, then stopped. How was she supposed to explain this?  _No one_ read the Code more than once, except if you were a scholarship kid like Flora, and even then she had almost fallen asleep during the process.

"Thanks a bunch!" said Varanda, and took all of them from Tecna's hands, and distributed them to Flora and Stella before they could do anything. "Thanks," said Flora automatically.

"You're welcome," said Varanda brightly. "It's always good to be careful! Coming here is a dream come true and I'd just be so upset if I got expelled."  _That doesn't begin to cover it,_ Flora was thinking, when a raspy voice interrupted her.

"Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed, too."

The statement had come from a newcomer who stood in the doorway, a tall fairy with an urban fashion sense and headphones around her neck. She was pale and skinny, but somehow looked more substantial than Tecna. The girl turned toward Stella with a half-smile on her face. "But seeing as we've got the expert on the topic right here, we could ask her."

Flora cringed, expecting Stella to immediately jump down the girl's throat. Instead, she smiled, overly-bright. "Oh, I was upset for a while. I got over the embarrassment pretty quickly, though. Some of those old books were so worn, you know, that you couldn't see the print on some pages. I imagine that I skipped over a few tiny details."

"Like which ingredients combusted when added together," said Tecna. Everyone looked at her, surprised. She raised her eyebrows. "What? That is a probable example of what she missed: after all, the potion left  _burn_ marks on the wall and not water damage."

The new girl snorted. "I like the way you think."

Tecna looked pleased. "Thank you."

"Anyway," said the new fairy, "How'd you spin it? Getting back in, I mean." She took a step forward.

Stella stood her ground, still smiling. "I just told Daddy what happened, and he paid all damages in full. We've got some spiffy new textbooks now, and some brand new laboratories. I think Griselda seems happy I'm back!"

The new fairy smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "I can see why."

"Yeah, I know. Can you imagine facing Alfea every day without seeing  _this_ face?" Stella illustrated her sentence by pointing to it. The girl looked irritated.

"No, I think she's probably hoping you'll get expelled again, bring some money into the school. It's worked before, hasn't it?"

The tension built. Flora felt sick to her stomach and tried to think of mediation strategies. The pigtailed fairy and Stella faced off, looking for all the world like they were about to fight, and then –

"Hey, why don't we go for pizza?" said Princess Varanda in her highest voice yet. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

"You know! It's the royal dish of Callisto. It's super-delish. I'm sure they have it in the city somewhere. We should check it out! As roommates, we'll be eating all our meals together anyway, so let's start now, just for practice!"

Everyone stared. 

"Well, let's introduce ourselves, then," said Varanda. "I'm Princess Varanda of Callisto," she said without even a twitch. _Strange_.

The new girl and Stella looked at each other and slowly separated, Stella sporting that same irritating grin, the other one scowling darkly.  _This much drama and we haven't even had lunch._

"I'm Musa."

"Charmed. I'm Princess Stella of Solaria."

"We've heard," said Musa and Tecna at the same time. They smiled, surprised.

"And I'm Flora," Flora said, tapping her chest with her hand as she introduced herself, as was polite in interplanetary diplomacy. They all shared an uneasy smile, and in the following silence, they walked through the winding halls to the bus that would take them out of Alfea.

 _It's going to be a long day,_ Flora noted.

But it wasn't until three hours later that Flora realized how right she was.

* * *

After they left campus and rode the bus out to Magix, they walked through the city center for hours, until they got hungry and eventually went out to dinner. Unfortunately they were unable to find pizza, so Varanda left them to make a call on a strange device called a  _phone._ She didn't return, not even as hours passed, and the girls walked down the street to sit at a fountain in Verox Square just as the second sun sank below the horizon.

"I'm a little worried about Varanda," said Stella off-handedly after a few moments of silence. "This is kind of a bad neighborhood."

Musa gave her a look. She was the one who had brought them there.

The blonde shrugged. "Just saying, darling. This place can be pretty sketchy, especially when the witches from CT hang out here after school."

"Well, if you're scared, I suggest you lead us somewhere else," Musa said, but at the same time, Stella said, "But the ones you  _really_  need to watch out for are the Trix."

"...What?" said Musa, temporarily surprised.

"Yes, who are the Trix?" Tecna put in.

Stella put on what seemed to be her  _gossip_ face. She leaned in. "They're these three senior witches. Nobody messes with senior witches, that's one thing. But they're also like, freakishly powerful. No one at the school can stand up to them. There's something  _different_ about them...they're clever. They're cruel." She looked thoughtful. " _And_ I heard that they're keeping tabs on every fairy and witch in the school. I wonder..."

A shrill scream pierced the air. It was coming from the alleyway behind the group. Stella raised her head. "That's Bloom's scream! I mean, uh, Varanda's!"

"Wait, what?"

"Never mind! Let's  _go!"_

They entered the alley to a scene of destruction. Ice lay scattered in piles all over the pavement, the cement was broken and trash cans were overturned. In the midst of it all stood a giant yellow  _Ogrus horriblis,_ pinning Varanda down with his foot.

And then there were the witches. They shared similar facial features, a kind of deathly beauty, like that of a black widow or a poisonous plant. They wore dark jumpsuits with harnesses that each held a letter: maybe their first initial.

"It was  _you!"_ said Stella suddenly. She seemed to recognize the ogre, and vice versa. She might have said something else, but Flora was watching Varanda. She seemed to be sweating and shivering at the same time, and was definitely in some degree of pain. Had Varanda done something to provoke these people?

"What happened?" Musa gestured towards the ruin. "Does  _everyone_  here go around destroying everything?"

"Bloom!" Stella screamed again, not even bothering to correct herself this time. She looked back at the witches, seemingly torn between staying away and fighting them. 

"You three!Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you get some sort of pleasure out of attacking me? First you sic this ogre on me and try to steal my scepter while I'm somehow on  _Earth_ of all places, which would have  _killed_ me if I hadn't run into Bloom right here! And now you're kidnapping her in an alleyway? What is your obsession with me?"

"Well, aren't we vain?" one of the witches replied. Her brown hair was longer than Flora's, though similar in coloring. "Long time no see, little fairy."

"What brought you and Varanda to Earth?" Tecna inquired, seeming to forget about what was happening in the face of unknown information. "I thought she hadn't ever left Callisto."

This caught the witches' attention. One of them laughed. "Stupid fairy. Let me spell this out for you: your friend is an  _Earth girl._ "

Tecna's gasp of surprise was drowned out by a frustrated growl that came from Stella. She pointed at the ogre. "Now listen here, you massive yellow zit! Get your foot off my friend before I kick your ass to Solaria and back!"

"Shall we wager on that fight?" another witch questioned, twirling a lock of pale hair. "You lose, we get your scepter."

"Oh yeah? Well my friends and I are more than a match for you!"

 _This is bad,_ Flora thought. Hadn't Ms. Griselda told them they weren't supposed to use magic without supervision? Or interact with the witches of Cloud Tower?

' _We don't have a punishment for this particular rule, because nothing we can do is as terrible as what the witches will._ ' Griselda's words echoed in her mind as the three seniors prepared for a magical attack. Stella looked like she actually wanted to take them on! And Bloom looked like she was in so much pain...

Flora wanted to duck. Or run. Or-

"Hold it right there!" A man's voice shouted from behind.

A whistle sounded. "Break it up, girls!"

"Shit," the curly-haired witch blurted.

It was the Magix police. Two of them – plainclothes officers, judging by their lack of uniforms– had come to see what all the commotion was about. "Alfea fairies and Cloud Tower witches. Remind me whose bright idea it was to keep both these schools on the same planet."

The other surveyed the nine of them, making sure they really had given up on their magical fight. "Now listen good, ladies. Break it up, now. First person to attack gets arrested. We don't tolerate fighting in this city."

"Now, it's your first day back, so we'll let you off with a warning. However, your headmistresses will be notified." He pulled out a notebook, "now please give me all your-"

 _Crack!_  Faster than the eye could blink, the three witches and the ogre vanished, leaving the policemen behind. Unfortunately, if they didn't have identification, they couldn't press charges.

Stella looked ready to follow their lead, when the man closest to her grabbed the fairy's wrist. "Oh no you don't. First, you're all going to give us your names, and then we're-"

"Please, officer!" the Earth girl screamed. "Those witches lured me into this alley, and then a monster attacked me! My friends only came to save my life!"

"It's true," Flora felt obligated to add. "She was in a lot of pain when we arrived."

The two men glanced at one another, trying to decide what to do. "Hmm… since we can't prove it either way, and since those witches fled, we won't take you in for questioning. However," the first one said sternly, "we still need your names. Your headmistress will be notified. She can decide what to do with you."

"Also," added the other, "since you clearly can't spend your afternoon in Magix without causing trouble, we'll be escorting you back to Alfea. Don't try anything."

* * *

They rode back to Alfea in a squad car.

The atmosphere inside was totally silent. Musa leaned against the window, looking furious, and Tecna stared at her hands while Bloom gazed off into space. Even Stella had gotten over her bravado. She looked like she was going to cry.

Flora did cry, though as quietly as she could.  No one looked at her all the way back to school.

By the time they arrived, it was around twenty-nine o'clock, which was one whole hour past curfew, and Flora was ready to die. It didn't help that the police officers had left the siren on. But approaching Alfea and watching the lights flicker on in the windows, while Headmistress Faragonda and Head of Discipline Griselda waited out on the grass –  _that_ made the humiliation complete.

The officers drove the car right up onto the lawn and parked it outside the gates that were shaped like wings. They got out and waited while the officers explained.

"Thank you, I'll handle it from here," said Headmistress Faragonda when they were finished, and then she gestured at the girls to follow them, not once looking back to see if they did. Flora had a sudden urge to bolt into the woods and never stop.

Only when they were standing within the gates, flooded with the lights from the lamps, did their headmistress look at them.

"It isn't the fact that you've deliberately disobeyed my orders on the first day of school, or that you broke curfew, or even that you were escorted back in a police car because you were in an altercation with witches," she said in a mild, quiet tone that made Flora want to conjure a hole in the ground and bury herself in it.

"It is the fact that you were representing Alfea which makes me disappointed in you. In all of you," she added. Her gaze swept quickly over Flora, taking in the redness of her eyes and the dots of tears on her shirt without reaction.

"Moreover, you put yourself in danger. You left what you knew to be the safe part of Magix to the territory which you should  _know_ is inhabited by witches. Worse, when you met them, you antagonized them – and I don't care whose idea that was, Miss Musa," she said in response to Musa's noise of objection.

"In so doing, you showed a disregard for your own safety and that of the other girls in your group, and that is true  _no matter who started it._ I cannot have girls here who are dangers to themselves or to their friends, regardless of their good intentions. I hope you can serve the school better in the future." She pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she was tired of the lecture.  
"Now. Go to bed."

They began to trudge off in the direction of their dormitories, when Musa's voice echoed through the silence.

"Wait. There's something that you need to know, Headmistress Faragonda."

Behind them, Bloom stopped in her tracks. Musa refused to look at her.

"Yes, Miss Musa?"

"It's about Varanda. I don't want to be a snitch, but I don't want to lie, either – so I think she should tell you herself."

The silence following Musa's declaration was ominous. Bloom's voice cut through it quietly, unwillingly.

"Well...I'm not Varanda, and I'm not from Callisto. My real name is Bloom and I'm from planet Earth."

"I knew it!" Griselda burst out. "I knew you weren't a real princess. You've lied to us, young lady!"

"Yes," said Faragonda, "but if you weren't a fairy, the barrier would have kept you out. So, tell us, why did you come here under a false name?"

Stella stepped forward, looking desperate. "Headmistress, it was all my idea –"

Faragonda shushed her with a wave of her hand. "Go on."

"I come from a little town on Earth called Gardenia. I've wanted to be a fairy for all my life. To fly like a fairy, to use magic and to help people is my greatest dream." She stared earnestly at the two women, clasping her hands in front of her. "I love this place with all my heart already! I just know that if I have the chance to stay here, I can succeed!"

Griselda spluttered. "Surely you don't expect us to listen to  _that,_ after you lied and tricked your way into the school!" But Faragonda put her hand on Griselda's arm. " _However,_ she showed a great tenacity, and a good deal of passion. Both are things we teach our students to strive for, hmmm?" She turned her face away from the girls, so that Flora could not read her lips as she whispered something in Griselda's ear.

"Well, Bloom," she said, turning back to her, "I suppose you can stay and take Varanda's place. You can meet me tomorrow morning before class to discuss your scholarship." She was already smiling again; the twinkle from earlier was back in her eye. "And  _do_ try not to make any more noise!"

* * *

Later, they stumbled back into their dormitory, exhausted but alive. A feeling of mingled fear and relief hung around them like a fog. Flora felt it too.  _We could have died tonight,_ she thought. Every beat of her heart reminded her.

Just as they reached their rooms, Bloom told them to come into the one that she and Flora shared. "I've got something special to show you guys," she said, smiling brightly. With a feeling of waning patience, Flora followed Bloom and waited while she rummaged for a piece of scrap paper in her desk. 

Bloom turned around. Written on the scrap was a strange word, so strange that it was hard for Flora to understand even after the translation spell worked its magic.

 _Winx,_ it said. Except –

"That's an old Runic word for magic," Musa said. "But why's the last letter so big?"

Bloom smiled widely. "It's shaped like a butterfly! To represent beauty, fragility, innocence, goodness, and  _forgiveness_." She beamed at Musa, who looked guilty. "It represents everything good about fairies."

Winx as a term was uncommon in the current age, but Flora had seen it a million times in old time heroic stories, also known as fairy tales. It meant the essence of a fairy, basically. Goodness, from which the gift of fairy magic came. The butterfly was a metaphor for the wings, and for the fragility, yet adaptability and strength of every fairy. Flora knew that when Winx was mentioned in fairy tales, that was usually when the heroes started dying.

"You want to form a Winx alliance now?" said Musa incredulously. "We just got arrested. We were one step away from mopping floors magicless on Juvenile Junction. And you want to create a heroic allegiance of souls and minds? We are on thin ice, sister. In fact you were frozen! No way!" 

Tecna nodded in agreement. 

"I have read about this archaic  _Winx partnership_ and I must admit that my roommate is right. It sounds foolhardy at best. I cannot agree."

 

Bloom blinked repeatedly, looking shocked. "But...we just survived those witches together. Who says we can't be good friends?"

 

Tecna seemed to lose her patience. "Survived? Together? No, you engaged with the witches, and, while that is not your fault, you did not attempt to help when Stella was about to fight. You also lied about your origins. So while I think we  _could_ be friends, I believe that I must place my own health and safety above the possibility. I rode thirty hours in a galactic starship to be here. I drank five different potions to acclimatize myself to magic and the different gravity and radiation levels here. I did not expend this much energy  _not dying_ just to die anyway in the first week."

There was a very long, very awkward pause, which was only broken by Musa's surprised laugh.

"Tell us how you really feel," she laughed. "Well, not that this wasn't fun...but I like not dying too much to stop. So I'm going to bed. Coming, roommate?" She patted Tecna on the shoulder  and then, seemingly in synchronization, they turned and left. Bloom looked stricken.

"Flora? Stella?"

"I just don't think it'll work out, hon." Flora tried to be gentle. "We'll see."  _Never in a million years._

Stella offered Bloom a smile before she left. "You know I'm your friend. And I'll always be grateful to you. It's just that you kind of moved too fast for them to handle. And me too." She turned to leave.

"But am I wrong?" she said desperately as Stella left.

Stella turned. "Sweetie, you're what every fairy aspires to be. Never forget that."

 _That's the problem,_ Flora thought, without knowing why.

Could a person be...too good?

The question haunted her all the way to bed, until she tucked herself in and fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Coming Soon:

"Tecna sighed. She needed to do something to stave off boredom before she set her phone's laser function to atomic deconstruct and caused an interplanetary incident. That would probably be breaking class rules, anyway."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> To Die Upon A Kiss  
> 2017 edit:  
> I edited this chapter to make it less overdramatic and flow better with the characters as they are. I have a bad habit of getting carried away with the emotions of a scene and not paying attention to what people might say. Not that this is that realistic, but it's better than the dramafest it was. And it keeps its meaning.
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter, and the ones that follow, are basically the equivalent of sneaking up on canon in the middle of the night and hitting it with a shovel. Whatever. Canon can take care of itself. It’ll certainly be fun to put our ideas in motion.
> 
> PierceTheVeils Speaks: Yes! We’ve finally gotten the chapter up! So happy school is out, because now we can spend more time on fanfiction.
> 
> (laughs) I just love that imagery! So fitting for what we have in mind! (throws up head and laughs evilly at the sky)
> 
> Sorry everyone. This is what you get when you deprive Pierce of sleep. But in all seriousness, we have a lot of ideas for how to change canon into something more… plausible. If you would like to contribute any ideas of your own, simply leave them in a review or message one of us. (Back in mad scientist form) Together, we shall create… A new reality! (dun dun dun!)
> 
> (Back to T-Duck, while Pierce takes a moment to stop maniacally laughing)
> 
> I see what you did there.  
> Anyway, we aren’t the ones in the wrong – canon should have done it our way in the first place.  
> This fanfiction is also available on AO3: the link is on my profile. Tell us any thoughts you might have about the plot, characterization, or even grammar and spelling! That said, T-Duck out. I need some quality sleep before I wake up on a couch I don’t recognize.
> 
> (We finally return to Pierce, who is still giggling at something that probably isn’t funny)
> 
> Oh hey, I just walked into my room and realized I left all my books on my bed. I have a lot of heavy books, so I’m now in a sleeping bag on my floor.  
> What? Oh right-fanfiction. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I agree with T-Duck: feel free to review on anything you wish for us to know. Your thoughts matter.  
> (Once again over-dramatic (why? Because it amuses me) And now… I shall see ALL OF YOU… on the far side. (Points) Way over there.
> 
> Extra note from TDUAK:  
> I forgot to mention: the non-English characters from this phrase - _See Code of Behavior Section ቡ, subsection ሚ for the complete list_ \- are from the Ethiopian national language Amharic, the written form of which is the Fidel version of the Ge'ez script. Why don't you go explore another culture today?  
>  PS: The story can also be found [here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10283114/1/A-New-Reality) at fanfiction.net.


	3. Tecna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tecna didn't give up her home, her life and civilized society to come to Alfea and learn _manners_. Just what is wrong with this school? The same question could be asked about its students. Between inane classes, stupid social rules, and a ball, of all things, Tecna finds time to make a friend. When flying things attack the dance, will she be ready? Short answer: no.  
>  Rated I for Insects.  
> A few more swears in this one, they're barely noticeable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished February 7, 2015, 9:00 PM EST.

 

Dear Miss Tecna:

We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted into The Alfea College for Fairies. Orientation day is enclosed below, as is your schedule and required materials. We hope to see you in Magix as you begin your journey into the wonderful life of a fairy!

Sincerely,

Linda Faragonda

Alfea Headmistress

(next page)

_Student Schedule_

Fall Term:

1\. Basic Manners and Diplomacy with Professor Dufour

2\. Incantations/Theory of Magic with Professor Palladium

3\.  Basic Transmogrification with Professor Wizgiz

4\. Gateway to Technopathy with Professor Phlebotinum

5\. Potions with Professor Zosimus

6\. Dimensional History with Professor Demesne

Spring Term classes will be selected after the end of fall term by the student, while adhering to their requirements for graduation and skill level. Any changes in schedule must be approved by the deputy headmistress upon arrival, and cannot be made after the first two weeks of term. Thank you for your compliance. 

* * *

 It was nine o’clock on the planet of Magix, and Tecna was well-rested, refreshed, and prepared. So why did she feel fatigued, like she could fall asleep at any moment? It was almost as though the gravity was stronger on this planet – pulling her chin toward the table and her eyes into the slumbering position.

Was this an emotion? Tecna ran through the list of emotions in her head, trying to remember the symptoms of each one. At the moment, boredom was the closest match for what she was feeling. But why was that?

As far as she knew, all emotions were triggered by outside stimuli.  So what could have caused such a strange sensation?

“And now, ladies,” said Professor Dufour in her piercing voice, "we shall practice the common curtsy together. Please rise.” The students did as they were told, lifting themselves out of their chairs, and following the professor.

_So that’s what it is._

Tecna sighed. She needed to do something to stave off boredom before she set her phone's laser function to atomic deconstruct and caused an interplanetary incident. Besides, that would be breaking class rules: Madame Dufour had insisted that use of electronics during her class was ‘a true sign of rudeness and improper ways.’

How the entire thing was classified as something worth teaching, Tecna had no conception. Usually, people on Zenith spoke however they wanted as long as they were able to properly restrain their emotions. Unfortunately, it had been made clear to Tecna that she was most certainly not on Zenith any longer.

“Now bend,” cooed the professor, and Tecna forced herself to fold at the waist. “Good, good! Yes, Miss Gentileschi! Hands folded, feet pointed out, and back up – you may sit.”

Tecna unfolded with a sigh of relief and sat heavily. She heard someone giggle behind her and resisted the urge to turn her head.

“By the end of this week,” continued the Professor, “we will have learned the seven most popular curtsies, the elements of posture, and the proper method of introduction when one does not know the planet from which someone hails. Now, does anyone know the Universal Greeting?”

About six girls (there were possibly thirty in the lecture hall) raised their hands.

“I don’t mean the abridged version, ladies. Can anyone actually show me the full greeting?” All of the girls lowered their hands, except one tan girl in a green shirt – Flora.

“Excellent, excellent,” cried Dufour, nodding so excitedly that she looked like she was about to lose her glasses. “Come down, please. Girls, take note,” she called. Tecna’s vision began to blur as Flora, flushed with happiness, made her way down to the center of the hall.

“See how she bends her knees forward, to preserve her modesty! She places one hand on her chest as she introduces herself!” Tecna tried to stay awake. But Dufour’s voice (and maybe the atmosphere, or just the general subject), dragged her eyelids shut, until she fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

 “Hey, you’ve got to get up at some point!” a loud voice called, interrupting Tecna’s dream. Suddenly, a large blunt object came down on Tecna’s hand, causing her body to become instantly alert.

The lecture hall was clearing out. The one who’d spoken was Musa, Tecna’s new roommate. She was holding a book: A Basic Guide to Diplomacy, which was probably what she had used to bludgeon Tecna awake.

“I didn’t know you had this class,” said Tecna, stalling for time while she remembered where she was.

“No choice,” she replied. “If you don’t pass it, you fail for the year.” Musa caught her staring at the professor, then leaned in to whisper, “Don’t worry, she didn’t catch you.”

“That’s fortunate.” Tecna looked up. She was fairly confident that embarrassment had caused the heating of her cheeks, but she’d have to check her pocket guide to be sure. “Well, I'd better find my second class. I’m glad you woke me.”

Her roommate gave her a strange look, but Tecna didn’t have time to decode it. She quickly jotted down the homework, and made her way out of the lecture hall. She was going to have trouble staying off her phone if the other classes continued in this vein. 

* * *

By lunchtime, she had already given up. The urge to use her phone had turned into an outright itch, and by the end of the extra-long third period (which was spent discussing the syllabus), she had caved and dug into her bag to check her notifications.

Nothing.

If anyone had been on the quad of Alfea in the five minutes before lunch, she or he would have seen a pale, pink-haired fairy streaking toward the Grand Ballroom at a rather dangerous pace, tapping repeatedly at her phone while shielding her eyes.

By the time Tecna reached the ballroom where she had eaten breakfast, she was tired and hot, as well as filled with an inexplicable emotion that made her want to throw the phone, and herself, onto the floor. She settled for sitting down rather hard at one of the long tables.

She tapped the screen of her phone one more time, as if that would change the outcome. It didn’t.

“No connection,” it said.

“No,” Tecna muttered.

She had _not_ spent thirty hours in transit to a primitive planet to discover that there was no local realmweb connection and no way to get one. Unless she used the extract password sequence to brute-force the netkey by entering all possible combinations of characters... that was probably illegal. She scrolled down the list of networks. It was a short one. There was one labeled _“dark_mistress,_ ” but it disappeared as soon as she saw it. The second one was labeled _“RF_Public”_ and had two bars of service. The third one, though, _“RF_secret_missions,_ ” looked promising and had five out of five bars. She lifted her finger, preparing to force her way into the network–

“Pray, what is the matter?” A timid-looking girl with blue hair and a deep tan was leaning over Tecna, uncomfortably close. Tecna jumped. The girl glanced at Tecna’s phone. “Is your...device troubling you?”

They stared at each other for a strangely excruciating second. Tecna became fully conscious of the way she was sitting, slouched over her phone with her elbows on the table, and slowly slid her arms down and straightened her back.

 _Quick, think of your speaking lessons!_ she thought. “Nothing is the matter,” she said, copying the girl’s tone. “I’m only having difficulties connecting to the realmweb here. Please don’t trouble yourself on my account.”

“No trouble at all! I was only trying to help you.” She frowned. “It’s my pleasure to help others. And I thought, since we were here, that we should try to be our best selves... ” She sounded rather hurt, as though Tecna had struck her.

 _Another psychotic classmate. I don’t have time for this,_ thought Tecna.

“That’s _wonderful_ ,” she said, plastering a smile on her face, and stared down at her screen until the girl walked away. It took only a few seconds to realize that she was attracting stares. It took a surprising amount of willpower to look up.

She glanced around. Many of the other girls were already looking at her curiously. Her tutors had warned her before she left that she would be the odd one out. The signs were very simple to see.

 _Make allies_ , she had been told. _Bring back information._

Well, she had her first important piece of information: Alfea girls had their own system for making allies, just like the Zenithians. It just happened to be incomprehensible.

She looked around her. None of the girls seemed to be the “important allies” she had been told to make – quite the opposite. She was quickly running out of options. That fairy with the short brown hair and trench coat looked to be a bit of a social pariah, and the girl with bobbed honey-blonde hair didn’t look like she wanted to be bothered. That left only a brunette girl in a peasant top whose status probably matched her clothing, and... _wait_ –

“Flora!” she said, slightly louder than she’d meant to. The brunette fairy looked up, seeming relieved, and came over.

“Thanks for calling me, I didn’t want to eat alone on my first day,” she said gratefully. “I missed the first few minutes because Vara- Bloom’s come down with a case of teleportation sickness. She’s been,” Flora leaned forward and whispered, “throwing up since Potions. At first, I thought it was the smell of ingredients. We were using Narcissus and Bitterblue in our Swelling Solution, and I thought that they were the cause, or maybe something else. Medusal Ivy can cause nausea and blindness from fifteen paces if it's not properly locked away, you know."

Tecna sat back in her chair, mind already working to assimilate this new development. “You’re quite knowledgeable about magical herbs.” Well, at least one of her supposedly rich, brilliant or influential roommates was meeting expectations. She’d begun to think that bribing the Alfea dean of housing had been all in vain. Speaking of which–

“Isn’t Musa a princess?” she asked Flora. She’d heard that Musa’s father, Hoboe, was royalty of some sort, but news from the far reaches of the universe took some time reaching Zenith.

Flora raised an eyebrow at the question, “Yes, I suppose. She’s a pop princess, since her dad was crowned Prince of Pop at the Melody Music Awards… But she’s not politically involved, she's only a public figure.”

_What._

“But, but–” Tecna found herself saying, as if the circuit of her brain had shorted out entirely.

She needed to think. Clearly, the information she’d been given by her tutors at the learning center in Zenith was completely false. She had to work quickly to fix the damage before she was called back in disgrace. She had not taken this chance in vain.

“Why does it matter?” Flora asked her, slightly sharper than before.

“I, um, just wanted to know,” said Tecna to the commoner. She looked around her. Would it be a faux pas to just switch tables now?

Just then, the “princess” in question, Musa, strode up to the table and both girls went silent. Tecna felt rooted to the spot. Has she overheard? The thought was enough to make her freeze in place. She looked up at the taller girl with no idea what to say. She’d made some kind of declaration the night before, and that had made them ‘friends’, but what happened now?

And, why was one of her pigtails dripping pink slime?

Musa looked between Flora and Tecna for a moment, as if she thought that they were sharing some kind of secret. Then she smiled. “Well. I’d like to interrupt this lively discussion with a public service announcement: apparently, Princess Stella throws more than tantrums when she’s interrupted in the bathroom.” Musa sat down. “As in, she throws actual stuff.”

Tecna looked at Musa. “But that’s irrational. What would cause a civilized being above the age of four to react in such a way?”

“I know, that’s what I said,” Musa replied without a pause, reaching for the food that had suddenly appeared on their table at sixteen o’clock sharp. “Stella didn’t like that. She didn’t answer my question with words, just, you know, a glass bottle of Merlin’s Hair Potion. It nearly hit my ear– like this.” She pantomimed ducking a projectile by moving her toast past her face.

“It could have done some serious damage,” said Tecna, watching hair potion drip from Musa’s pigtail onto the table. _It didn't hit your ear, that's true,_ she thought, and actually had to smother a laugh in a spoonful of Magix vegetables. _What's gotten into me?_

“Well, her looks do seem to be very important to her. I don’t think it’s nice to go after someone when they’re feeling sensitive.” Flora edged her way in, eyes downcast.

“Nor is it nice to hog the bathroom we all share when one person is spilling her guts out.” Musa countered. “Bloom couldn’t use the toilet, so she had to puke in your flower pots instead.”

Flora’s eyes widened for a moment. “Empty pots?”

Musa shrugged. “I couldn’t tell.” She continued to eat as normal, though Flora seemed to have lost her appetite.

Tecna resisted the urge to let out an annoyed huff at yet another thing that made no sense. “Isn’t there an _infirmary_ at this school?”

“Yeah, but all the charity cases–”

“– _scholarship students_ ,” said Flora.

“Okay, _fairies who couldn’t afford anti-puke potions_ , are in there already. The line is backed up into the hall.”

“Alright, that’s enough about puke,” Flora whispered, putting her hand over her face. “I don’t even want to imagine what the others might be thinking.” Tecna looked up to find that people were indeed staring, and that even she had a very good idea of their reasons for doing so.

“Change in topic, it is.” Tecna thought for a moment. “What class do you have next? I have Basic Technopathy, combined freshmen and sophomores.  Apparently, we all have one class that relates to our power source.”

“Wait a second, I’ve got to get mine out of my bag,” Musa said, spraying crumbs everywhere, and dove for her bookbag under the table.

Flora looked away from Musa’s display and said, “I had Manners and Diplomacy first, with Dufour, as you know; then, I had Transmogrification and Potions. Now, I’m going to go to Naturopathy with Professor Mariposa. Then I have Incantations and Theory of Magic, and Dimensional History.”

"Ah! Here it is!" Musa surfaced with a folded piece of paper that no longer resembled a schedule. "Let's see: I had M&D with you all first thing, then Incantations. I just came out of Transmogrification. After lunch, I go to my Music class. It’s usually an elective, but it involves my power source so it comes up required. Then I have Potions and Dimensional History."

Flora looked over at Tecna. “So, how do you two like Alfea so far?"

"It's very different," Tecna stated simply, strangely unwilling to offer details. She was feeling the emotion from that morning – embarrassment– but didn’t know why.

"It's pretty awesome," Musa smiled. "I heard they have a great music program, and..." she stopped suddenly, smile disappearing.

"Hey, girls!" the girl named Bloom (at least, Tecna hoped that was her name) had found a way to sneak up on their table unnoticed. She and Princess Stella fell into the seats next to Flora. Tecna was thankful that she’d already chosen a seat by the edge– small comforts.

"Who does that fairy think she is?" Stella was complaining to Bloom. "Just because I'm a freshman again doesn't mean I can't blast her into the next dimension!"

"Bloom!" Flora called out with an eager expression. "How are you feeling?"

The girl shrugged, trying to smile. "A little better. Stella told me it's best if I eat right away."

"Well, don't try it if you don't feel up to it, okay?"

"Yeah, we kinda need to eat here. Not gonna happen if you start puking again." Musa added.

"Oh come on, the girl said she's fine," Stella said, and flipped her hair. It appeared that she had least got some conditioning done before smashing the bottle.

As the others began to chatter, Tecna listened closely for anything important. Unfortunately, they didn't seem in the mood to discuss anything except peplums, which, whatever they were, probably wouldn’t grow in Zenith’s climate anyway.

The Earthling Bloom was silent throughout, which was actually a shame. Earth had not been considered relevant for centuries due to its loss of fairy magic, but now that it had rejoined civilization, the input of an Earthling would be interesting to hear. _Perhaps I should try conversing with her again, unless my outburst the previous night created some sort of faux pas._

She looked down at her plate, suppressing a snort. She hadn’t expected Magix’s social conventions to be so _strange_.

She glanced up at the front of the room, noticing a flash of movement. Faragonda stood, sweeping her arms wide.

"Young ladies, your attention please. I have an important announcement to make."

Beside Faragonda sat the deputy Headmistress Ms. Griselda, who didn't look like she was feeling a pleasant emotion. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"As is the tradition among the magic schools, the annual gala held in honor of our new students will be tonight. Students attending the Alfea College for Fairies and the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery will gather here in our castle to perform the traditional welcome gift exchange ceremony." Faragonda began. As she spoke, the students began to chatter excitedly amongst themselves, making it difficult for Tecna to listen.

Bloom leaned in, whispering, "The Specialists are coming here?"

Stella grinned widely, "Yeah. Remember the ones who rescued us a few days ago?" Stella winked.

"Silence, please." Griselda clapped her hands for attention. Slowly, the talk died down, and the woman began to speak again. "Our headmistress is speaking. Show a little respect!"

"Thank you, Griselda," the headmistress of Alfea began again. "There is one more thing I would like to say: Your afternoon classes will be cancelled so our staff may prepare the ballroom, and if any student would like to help set up, they must only volunteer to do so. All students are expected to arrive at twenty-four o'clock wearing appropriate formal attire, and the dance will end at twenty eight o'clock when all Red Fountain guests are asked to return to their campus."

"That's right, no overnight guests. Deputy Headmaster Codatorta has informed me that any Specialist found on Alfea premises after the scheduled departure will face due punishment." Ms. Griselda took over from there, adjusting her glasses in the process."Chaperones will be present. Love spells and crush potions of any kind are forbidden."

"But dancing is encouraged," Mrs. Faragonda continued. "The boys are bringing surprise gifts, and I'm sure everyone will have a wonderful time. It will be an evening full of enchantment, and I wish you all the merriest of nights."

Right as the head of Alfea finished speaking, the bell rang, the freshman fairies cleared out as all the sophomores began to pour in, and Tecna left along with the rest of her year.

* * *

 By the time she reached the door to their flat, most of her roommates were already gathered in one of the bedrooms. She followed the voices to Princess Stella's single. The Princess was clutching a piece of filmy orange fabric that looked more like a dish towel than a dress, if she were to judge it by its size.

"I maxed out the credit card Daddy gave me – that's a new invention, you know, you just swipe it anywhere and you pay later – but I couldn't help myself. It was just calling out to me: _'buy me, buy me, please!'"_

"How noble of you to answer its call," Musa commented.

"Hardly so," said Tecna. "Money is the opiate of the masses, after all."

The girls spun around to stare at her. "Oh, wow, I didn't see you there," said Bloom with her hand on her chest.

"Doing so would have been rather difficult, as you were facing in the opposite direction." Tecna pointed out helpfully.

Musa snorted for some inexplicable reason. "Well, I'm going to go get my outfit, see if it still fits after all this cafeteria food. Tecna, want to come?" Tecna followed her back to their apartment with a feeling she would later identify as relief.

"That was some decent sarcasm back there," Musa commented, once they were standing in the bedroom and she was changing her clothes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it wasn't stellar, for sure, but it was decent. Someone needs to keep a lid on all the 'happy-to-be-here' cheery bullshit that Bloom’s always spewing."

"No, what is this device known as sarcasm?" Tecna clarified, even though she also had questions about the lid idiom that Musa had used.

"What, they don't have sarcasm where you come from?" Musa looked at her with wide eyes. Tecna wondered if she'd said something offensive.

"It's, well, it's like the difference between spicy food and bland food, I guess. You use it to make your conversations more interesting. It's like a joke between the speaker and the listener: you can state the obvious, or pretend to be oblivious, or exaggerate something, or say the complete opposite of what you mean, but the whole time the listener knows you don't mean what you say." She grinned. "It's the greatest when you use it on people who don't know you're using it, and they take you seriously. One time I convinced this tourist that a shuttle-bus was actually a starfighter, and–"

She shut her mouth rather suddenly, cheeks turning pink. "Well, it can be fun."

"But why? Isn't it more efficient to simply state exactly what you mean and communicate your intentions clearly?"

Musa gave her that look again, the one that Tecna had begun to recognize as the one that meant she was being confusing.

"Sure, but then all the fun is taken out of conversation. You wouldn't speak to your friend like you would to a boss, would you? Sarcasm is one of those ways to have fun."

And then Tecna asked:

"What is fun?"

"Oh, Great Dragon. Well, um… I can't really explain it, except by using the word again, so..."

"Hmmm... is fun a way to pass time, perhaps?" Tecna suggested, trying to help them figure this out. "Because from the way you're making it sound, it is more of a hobby rather than a mental illness, which is what I thought of first."

Musa laughed. "You're kidding, right? Everyone has fun in their lives."

"What is 'kidding'?"

Musa stared at her. "This is  getting out of hand. Let's stick to 'fun.'" She turned, facing herself in the mirror: during their conversation, she had succeeded in putting on an off-the-shoulder red dress with a high collar that only covered the back of her head.

" 'Fun' is doing things that give you enjoyment. Some people like dressing up, for instance." She adjusted her collar, showing a neatness that Tecna had never seen her display before.

"Entertainment? It's the result of entertainment!" Tecna guessed.

Musa glanced at her through the mirror. "You know what entertainment is?"

"I had to learn the term before I came here," she explained informally. "Part of our guide to Magix lists popular forms of entertainment, so I had to learn that definition to understand why the things listed were there." Tecna admitted.

Her roommate couldn’t seem to find a response to that. "Hey, don't you need to get ready for the dance?"

Tecna nodded. She had an outfit which had been provided to her for formal occasions in this realm, which apparently differed greatly from presentations and assemblies held on Zenith.

She went over to retrieve it from her wardrobe. It was a high-collared thing as well, so at least she wouldn't be too out of place compared to Musa. This conversation had given her a new eye for the differences between her and the other girls.

"Do you mind if I ask you one thing?" said Musa as Tecna pulled the dress over her head.

 "You may ask me an additional question," said Tecna politely, removing her knee length trousers and replacing them with shorts.

Musa grinned at that, for some reason. "Why are you talking to me? I mean, I know I said we would get along, but I'm apparently a pretty difficult person to get along with."

Tecna considered her words carefully as she straightened the front of her gown.  "You aren't any more challenging to ’get along’ with than the other girls are. And since I must be in close proximity to you for a long period of time, it's best if we aren't at emotional odds." Tecna explained. "Besides, despite being slightly confusing with all your lids and sarcasm and fun, you speak your intentions clearly, despite stating them differently." That was the truth, though it felt funny giving it to this unkempt common girl.

Musa smiled at her. There was some indefinable emotion in her eyes as she pulled on the purple pants that went with the dress. Tecna smiled back, feeling a bit embarrassed. Yes. That was the emotion she’d been feeling! She was getting better at this!

"Besides, you don't spend lengths of time staring at me for saying nothing wrong," Tecna added, clearing the confusing feelings out of her head. And, a bit tentatively, though she didn't know why:

"And… what about you? Why is it that you talk to me?"

Musa grinned as she tied a purple ribbon around one of her pigtails. "Because you're honest, that's why. And even if you don't understand half the things I say, at least you aren't like the other girls here."

"I can comprehend more than fifty percent of your words!" she objected, somehow knowing that this wasn’t what Musa meant.

Musa offered Tecna a small smile, but her expression turned dark as she gazed into the mirror. "You'll learn very quickly that a certain type of girl attends Alfea. Most of them are privileged enough to pretend that certain types of hardship don't exist, or to act like they live in another reality where no one suffers, or has to work, or is mean to anyone else – unless you’re a witch, of course.” Musa glanced at Tecna. “As different as you are, you aren’t like that.”

She picked up another ribbon from the dressing table and began securing it around her other pigtail. "And that’s fine. Their parents probably raised them that way, and they can probably go on living that way with no problems. I can make fun of them, but I can't change them."

She grimaced. "But then, when a commoner, someone who knows the way of the world, starts acting that way– that goes beyond simple upbringing. That's willful ignorance." She looked directly at Tecna. "And that's why I can't stand people like Bloom. She's living in a world that doesn't exist." She sighed, and the moment passed as quickly as it had come. "Sorry about that."

Tecna paused a moment to think. "Well, if what you say is true, it'd be better if you were a politically involved princess, not just a holder of a title that confuses my home realm. You'd be able to change your realm, and hold greater influence over the realms of others."

Musa gave her a sharp look. "What did you say?"

Tecna realized her slip with a burst of... possibly regret? "I said...it would be better if you were a real monarch." On instinct she added, "The other realms might be better off, too."

Musa smiled, that same indefinable look in her eyes. "Sometimes you say incredibly cool things, Tecna. Like what you said to Bloom last night. How, uh, there were some things that even you couldn’t stand to do. Did you mean that?"

Tecna responded, after much thought, that she didn't know. She always said what she meant, didn't she?

The two fairies flinched at the sound of a door opening. They turned simultaneously to see Flora in the doorway.

"Bloom's vanished," she said without preamble. "Do you have any idea where she's gone?"

"How would I know?"Musa beat Tecna to responding. She sounded... angry, maybe?

The Zenithian checked her watch, newly set to use Magix time: 22:47. "Is it possible that she walked down to the ballroom early?"

Flora shook her head. "No, I don't think so. After she mentioned she had nothing to wear for the dance, she left. I thought she was going to our room, but when I left Stella's, she wasn't there, and she hadn't taken her makeup out or anything. She wouldn't have gone down without a dress, either."

"What does Stella have to say about all this?" Musa asked.

"She could've suddenly found something, then walked down before you went back," Tecna commented. "It's still a possible explanation."

Flora frowned. "Stella's in the shower. She says she's sweaty."

"Again?"

Tecna cut past Musa, straight to the point. "Do you think this could be a symptom of teleportation syndrome?"

Flora narrowed her eyes. Tecna's physics tutor on Zenith had often worn that same expression herself, when considering an especially hard problem.

"But Stella wouldn't have that problem, would she? She's a princess, she's probably traveled all around the universe for state functions." Flora looked thoughtful. "The only thing I can think of is...magic overdose..." She got a worried look on her face and turned toward the door. "I need to go to the library," she said, running off. “If any of you see Bloom, make sure she’s okay! And check on Stella when you can!”

The heard the door to their dormitory slam off in the distance.

“Hmm…” Musa began sifting through her drawers, then cursed. “Crap! I left my makeup in the bathroom. Think Stella will notice if I sneak in?”

Tecna looked up at her. “It depends: how much sound does the shower barrier obscure? How loud is the running water? I can do a risk-reward analysis for you if you just wait a moment–”

“I’m chancing it.” Musa got up and went to the door, with the attitude of someone going to war.

“What about Bloom?" Tecna pressed. "Flora seemed to think it was urgent.”

“Bloom probably just stepped out for a second and got lost. Alfea’s a big place. I’d finish getting ready first, if I were you.” And with that, Musa left the room, leaving the door open in her wake. 

* * *

 Another two hours found Tecna standing in the corner of the Grand Ballroom, talking quietly into her phone. Her classmates were engaging in some sort of elaborate courtship ritual with the recently-arrived Red Fountain honor class. It was fascinating enough to be worth reporting. Stella had run off after greeting her effusively at the start of the dance. Tecna could see her now: she was talking brightly to four of the honor students, swishing her long blond hair every second or two. The brightly-colored dishrag had made a reappearance. It was amazing that something that tiny could fit on a person so tall. In fact...

 _“Note. Subject: Stella possible possessor of advanced matter-compressing spells. Press for information at nearest opportunity.”_ Somehow the thought made her smile, as if she had done something wildly amusing. She shook her head, still smiling. Everything about this realm was confusing her.

Flora had found her way to them, and she stood behind the group, although she had not been acknowledged. Musa had appeared as well. She was standing right beside Stella, talking with the guests almost as passionately. They seemed to be behaving for the time being, thankfully.

As it turned out, the brunette boy was actually a prince: Prince Sky of Eraklyon. The Zenithian had actually read about Prince Sky, and had made it an objective to cross paths with him at one point. Perhaps Stella was a worthwhile ally after all, if only so Tecna could make more allies. The others were Brandon, the prince's first royal squire, Riven, who had a very uncivilized demeanor, and Timmy, who spoke in the most erratic way.

Tecna stood quietly, listening to the ongoing conversation. From what she could gather, Stella had last seen the boys two days prior on Earth. There, she had assisted them in fighting both an ogre and a troll, destroyed an Earth family's home and repaired it, and introduced them all to Bloom, who they were now asking about.

"Um... hey there," Tecna heard Timmy say, but it took her a moment to realize she was being addressed.

"Oh, hello. My name is Tecna," she put her arm out for a shaking of the hands, as required by social conduct. So why was this boy confused by it?

"Okay, Tecna. I'm... well, Timmy," Timmy shook her hand hesitantly.

"Oh? You don't seem very certain," Tecna's thoughts turned to Bloom, who came to the school under another name. Perhaps it was custom to change one's name in the unexplored realms.

Timmy laughed, though it sounded different than when others did. "No, I'm pretty sure I know my own name."

"I'd trust you do as well. It's not difficult to remember, I’m sure."

"I guess not," the boy sighed, looking away. Now what did that mean? "So, uh, do you come to dances a lot?"

Tecna shook her head. "No. Schools on Zenith don’t hold dances."

"Zenith?"

"Yes. I was born there. Yesterday was the first time I left."

"Wow. What's it like over there? Does the government really decide everyone’s job?” Timmy suddenly looked raptly interested in what she had to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"

The assembled students looked to the front, seeing Mrs. Faragonda and an older man standing side by side. Tecna recognized him from her briefing packet as Professor Saladin, the headmaster of Red Fountain.

“Welcome to another year in Magix. We hope you all are enjoying the dance, and we look forward to starting a new year with all of you. Please take this opportunity to bond with each other, for I imagine you’ll see everyone quite often this year. Alfea and Red Fountain have always shared a strong alliance with one another and we hope that will alliance will continue to last for the years to come."

"And now, as a token of our friendship, my boys will now bring out our gifts to the fairies of Alfea. Please clear the way as-”

 **“I don’t think so.** ” The voice was deep and harsh, with no identifiable source. It filled the room, coming from all directions.

Screams rang out all over the ballroom as the lights went out. Strange sounds erupted from the direction of the food table – a low buzzing that was loud enough to rattle the serving spoons. Tecna couldn’t figure out what was going on, especially with so many people in the way.

Maybe she could do it from outside. She moved toward the exit, hardly listening as the teachers shouted for calm and silence. The only light she could see was various flashes of magic, illuminating small shapes that moved rapidly through the air.

Tecna ripped her gaze away and finally found a door handle. She was surprised no one had yet attempted to evacuate, considering the ballroom appeared to be compromised. Trying not to be crushed by the moving stampedes, she pulled the door open with all her might. For whatever reason, it hadn’t been locked. She thought the teachers had locked all the non-entry doors after the dance started.

She raced out into the corridor, many small buzzing animals following her out. They seemed to be in hunting mode, and it wasn’t long before they set their sights on her.

It was in that moment Tecna realized what they were: insects. She’d never actually seen one on Zenith, but there were several databases constructed around such things. Longing to investigate them further, she memorized their features, even as she ran to escape their pursuit.

Turning a corner, Tecna saw a door open in front of her, and nothing but a dark wall ahead. It slammed open so quickly, she couldn’t stop in time – she squeezed her eyes shut and pelted through, covering her head to protect her most vital organ.

The impact she expected never came.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a silent corridor of Alfea. It was unadorned, empty and cool – a startling contrast to the disaster area she’d just left.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to start walking - after all, she would have to reach a window or door somewhere, and maybe she could find out where she was. She was obviously far away from the ballroom. Further inspection revealed just how far.

Stopping to inspect them, she realized that the walls weren’t just unadorned. They were ancient and bare of any paint or varnish. As she walked on, an odd buzzing filled her ears. Not of insects. Something else that seemed to vibrate the floor beneath her feet.

How large was this school? The thought occurred to Tecna that she could be lost here. This place did not seem to follow rules of space or geometry. There was no way that a corridor, especially one that seemed to have no end, could fit behind that door in the ballroom and not connect with the other halls.

An emotion came to Tecna, unbidden. She wanted to have someone with her. Anyone.

She stopped.

She had reached the end of the corridor.

A single door stood at the end of it; an ancient, mouldering slab of wood in the shape of a perfect circle. Nailed to its surface was – an interface screen.

 _LABYRINTH_ , it read.

As Tecna watched, more words appeared, one by one as if they were being typed into the screen. The sight made her think of Zenith.

 _ENTER PLEASE,_ it said. And _;-)._

What other choice did she have?

As she reached for the door, it was Musa’s voice that sounded in her head. _“Rule number ten, man, rule number ten!”_

She never touched the doorknob.

Instead, the door opened by itself, with an enormous creak, and Bloom of all people came rushing out, with cuts on her face and sweat running down her forehead.

“ _Witches,”_ she gasped, grabbing the door and leaning on it until it closed, _“the Ring!”_ , and, finally, _“Carnivorous wasps!”_

“What?” Tecna exclaimed. “What’s going on here?”

“Come on! We have to stop them!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PTV:  
> First things first: We are SO SORRY to have made you all wait so long. Honestly. I feel terrible.
> 
> TDUAK:  
> We are awful people. But, we feel that we’ve done good work here. We did the best we could to maintain continuity with the last chapters and give Tecna her own personal voice. She’s just a little ball of contradictions, isn’t she? I hope she still seems realistic. But really, I couldn’t resist putting in the “what is fun?” scene. I wrote an entire outtake for it where she ends up believing that it’s a sort of disease.
> 
> PTV:  
> Yeah, I guess. I think Tecna is my favorite character at the moment. She was fun to dive into, and I think she really stands out against the other fairies. I’ll have fun with her a lot this story.
> 
> TDUAK:  
> We’ve received some interesting feedback on the story, and we’ll address it separately on ff.net and Ao3. But I want to thank all of you for reading, and for sticking around for so long. If you’re reading this right now, I want to send a tray of cookies your way. Extra cookies if you get the many references here. Though you may not want to accept cookies from the Goblin King. BTW, the Labyrinth was actually something from the comics, not just a massive movie reference.
> 
> PTV:  
> Oh gosh, references. Anyway, I’m sure you can guess who the next chapter features (Hint: we haven’t used her POV in this story yet. She’s a Winx member), when we pick up on the aftermath of the dance, which we split because the chapter would be so much longer than all the others. Some people might be willing to write those 10K plus chapters, but we would personally prefer to keep it a bit shorter, simply so it can be read in one (normal length) sitting.  
> Anyhow, thanks for being patient with us, hope you leave your thoughts below, and we’ll see you on the far side!


	4. Musa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vague summary:  
> Musa lives out her dream of becoming a musician while making new friends. She excels in spelling and helps a friend in need with her mental health. Meanwhile, Flora showcases impressive acting skills, and Stella suffers magic retention issues.

_ “Prince of Pop” Breaks Contract: Goes to Court! _

_ Special Inquiry by: Q. Tattler _

_ Nine years after “Witchin’ for My Fairy” won the hearts of the Melodian people, pop prince and legend Ho-Boe is refusing to make another song ever again, much to M.M.Music©’s outrage. As of today, the record company has filed a suit against the musician for breaking contract, threatening to drive the young widower and father broke as the price of breaking his twelve-year record deal. _

_ This news came only days after Ho-Boe’s singer/wife (Matlin of Melody) succumbed to the exceedingly rare and incurable Elven Fever, dying at the age of twenty-nine. Insisting no song will be complete without his wife, Ho-Boe vowed to give up music altogether for the rest of his life, leaving fans and execs alike in shock. Those who sympathize with the grief-stricken man lament M.M.Music©’s seemingly heartless declaration, while those outraged by the artist’s statement demand he concede to the company’s wishes. As of now, no one knows when or how the legal battle will end, even as the country holds their breath as one. _

_ Your voice matters to us. If you think our prince should return, vote in our realmwide web poll, and check in for the latest Melody news! _

* * *

It was thirty o’clock on the planet of Magix, and most of the planet’s diurnal inhabitants were asleep. Alfea, on the other hand, was wide awake. That night, the school had suffered its worst disgrace since the goat debacle twenty years before. This incident? Even worse.

At precisely twenty-seven o’clock, just as the Red Fountain sophomores were presenting their gifts, three hundred thousand thumb-sized wasps had emerged from under the buffet table and begun attacking the dinner guests. No one could fight off so many, even the honors class or the senior Enchantix fairies, and five minutes of pandemonium reigned until Ms. Faragonda summoned a wasp-eating monster. 

The culprits had been caught and detained: three freshman Cloud Tower witches. They confessed on the spot, but refused to explain their motive. The Headmistress had shrunken them and sent them back to Cloud Tower in a jar, but thought it best to cancel the last hour of the ball.

She had also opened the infirmary for as long as needed to heal the students’ various stings and lacerations. Therefore, most of Alfea’s students were either sitting on folding chairs in the infirmary corridor, waiting in line, or lying awake in bed, thinking of the same question:  _ who let them in?  _

In a lounge in one of the second floor dormitories, Musa of Melody was sitting on the floor with two of her suitemates, discussing the same thing. Well, two of them were. 

Stella of Solaria was currently shouting and pacing about the floor. Her face and body were dotted with healing wasp stings, giving her the appearance of a very angry leopard. Out of everyone in the dorm, she’d gotten the most stings by  _ far _ .

“I can’t believe those witches had the nerve to ruin our dance!” Stella fumed for the third time. “There's a reason we didn't invite them. I bet they’re just jealous because we fairies get all the Red Fountain Boys and they couldn’t land one if they cast a spell and  _ made  _ them.”

“Shut  _ up,  _ Stella,” Musa snapped. “The real issue is, those witches got into Alfea and didn’t set off the wards. Someone must have told them how to avoid them.”

“Really though, how did they do that? I heard there were wards over the entire campus,” Flora added. “They can’t be fooled.”

Stella stopped pacing and frowned at the both of them. “Well, witches are  _ encouraged  _ to attack us. They get extra credit for it. Maybe Professor Griffin gave them a little extra help. You ever think of that?” 

Flora’s eyes went wide. “But she’s the headmistress there! They’ll be sent back to Cloud Tower, and Ms. Griffin will punish them...right?”

“Not right,” Stella whined.“I just  _ said _ they get extra credit for it. Why do you think those witches were freshmen? I mean, why else would they start so early?” She snorted and kicked a pillow. “If they do get in trouble- which I  _ doubt _ \- it’ll only be because they were caught.”

“Someone put them up to it.” Musa theorized. “Maybe it was initiation into some witch club or whatever. Point is, how did they get in?”

“Hmmm…” Flora rested her chin on her hand, thinking. “The upperclassmen always seem to tell stories about secret passages. What if there’s one connecting the schools?”

Stella snorted. “Why in the Magic Dimension would  _ those  _ exist? Here’s a secret passage right into enemy territory, now don’t use it?”

Flora hunched over. “I only said it was possible…”

“Well, however the witches got in,” said Musa airily, “It’s  _ possible,  _ very possible, that classes aren’t going to be canceled. So I’m going to bed” She stifled a yawn as she walked to the bathroom. Casually, she leaned against the wall. “Dibs.”

And with that, she pushed the bathroom door open and had it locked behind her before anyone could say a word to the contrary. 

“ _ I called first shower!”  _ Musa heard Stella say through the door. 

Musa turned the tap in the sink on full blast. “Sorry! Can’t hear you!” she called out cheerfully. 

Once safely locked in the bathroom, Musa got in the shower and let the perfectly heated water soothe away her annoyance. And drown out Stella’s knocking.

Only when she came out of the shower did she take down her pigtails and brush out her hair before putting them back up again. 

Then she calmly walked out, smiling a little as Stella rushed in. When Musa walked into her dorm room, she saw Tecna sitting at her computer, wearing what vaguely resembled an underwater diving suit. It was grey, made of shiny fabric, and included a band that wrapped around her head.  
She blinked. _Okay, I won’t ask. Yet._ “When did you get back?” 

“Almost exactly a minute ago, now. Were you in the bathroom?”

“Uh, yeah.” Musa stood there awkwardly. “So, where were you at the dance? I didn’t see very much of you.”

“I took a step outside and ran into Bloom. She was exhausted, injured, and saying some very strange things. When I realized she was unwell, I quickly helped her get to the infirmary. By the time I had returned to the ballroom, the wasp issue had been resolved.”

“Bloom? What was she doing out there?”

“Not sure. She said some things about witches. Perhaps she ran into the ones who were behind the incident?”   
Musa stared at Tecna. “And where have you been for the past few hours?”

“Investigating a fascinating tidbit of information I received. I just  _ had _ to have answers. Now I'm reporting on it." She gestured to her computer.

“...Okay. I won’t ask,” Musa shook her head. Tecna’s idea of ‘fascinating’ didn’t sound like it would match Musa’s. She was a great roommate, better than Musa thought she was going to get, but it would be a while before the weirdness wore off. “Hey, what are you wearing?”

Tecna looked at her and smiled. “You like my sleepwear?”

“Sure, Tec,” Musa replied, shaking her head as she moved over to her dresser. Of course those were her pajamas.

“Tecna, actually. My name is Tecna.”

Musa glanced over her shoulder. “I know. Just think of it as a...special name, if that’s okay. It can be our thing.” She said this all casually as she pulled out a pair of boy shorts and a T-shirt from  _ Band: The Band.  _

“Hm,” Tecna stopped for a moment, “Is it normal, for people to have a ‘thing’ shared between them?”

Musa hid her smile. She didn’t want Tecna to think she was laughing at her. “It is for friends. What, do people not have friends where you’re from?” Musa shut her mouth quickly.  _ Oh crap, I didn’t mean it like that! _

Lucky for Musa, Tecna didn’t seem to notice. “No, actually. Zenith does not use any sort of social system. There are only people you work with, people who work above you, and people who work beneath you. Or, if you are still attending school, people who teach you and people who learn with you. No one is ‘friends’ with one another, as far as I’ve seen.”

“That's so weird,” Musa said without thinking, then paused. Did anything offend this girl? If not, she was in luck.

Suddenly, a harsh scream pierced the quiet, followed by a very loud  _ “MY RING!!!” _

_ What is it  _ now _?  _ Musa seriously considered just ignoring it, but then Stella burst into the room, wild-eyed and panting. 

“Have you seen my ring?! I can’t find it anywhere!” The blonde began to turn the place upside down, tearing through her and Tecna’s clothes like they were her own. 

“Hey, out of my stuff,” Musa snapped, slapping Stella’s hands away from her armband collection in a way that might have been a bit more forceful than necessary. “Check your own jewelry box before you go rifling through mine.”

“I already did! It’s been stolen!” Stella continued to freak out, racing off into Flora and Bloom’s room, shouting all the while. If Musa didn’t already have a headache, she definitely did now.

“Ugh,” Musa collapsed onto her bed, putting the pillow over her head. She did  _ not  _ need this shit at – she checked her watch– thirty-one o’clock. Almost midnight.

“Are – are you alright?” she heard Tecna ask, muffled only slightly by the pillow. Musa waited too long to answer and Tecna came forward to tap her shoulder. 

“No, I heard,” said Musa wearily, lifting the pillow to look at Tecna. “Melodian super-hearing, it sucks.” Vaguely, from the other end of the dorm, she could hear Stella’s screeches fade off into tears.  _ All this over a  _ ring? 

“What?” 

“Never mind,” Musa murmured. 

_ Let’s hope for no dreams tonight,  _ she thought, and pulled the covers up to her chin. A minute passed, and she was gone to the world until six.

* * *

 

The morning dawned both bright blue and way too early. By the time Musa was able to stop squinting and get dressed for breakfast, no one was left in the dorm. She met absolutely no one until she reached the ground floor, and then it was swollen, stung faces, everywhere she went. 

The lousy atmosphere remained all through Manners and Diplomacy, where even Madame Dufour looked subdued, not that Musa was complaining. She tried to take notes and stay awake until the end of the lesson. When it was over, she took off for Incantations after Tecna left without her.

Musa turned the corner in the corridor and stopped short. Palladium’s door was open, and standing at the professor’s desk, looking for all the world to be completely terrified, was Princess Stella. Musa stepped back, suppressing a groan, when a hand gripped her above the elbow. It was Tecna.  _ How did I not see…? _

_ “Shh,”  _ she whispered, holding her finger up to her lips. “ _ You can hear. I can’t.”  _

Musa bit her lip and let Tecna pull her around the corner. It wasn’t like she was  _ eavesdropping.  _ If Stella really had a problem, she would have gone to Faragonda.

“What do you mean, you won’t be able to participate?” Palladium asked quietly. Musa heard, faintly, Stella’s panicked intake of breath. 

“I mean, Professor, that…” there was a rustle as Stella leaned in to whisper something that even Musa couldn’t hear. “Okay?”

The professor’s voice was grave, “Have you informed Headmistress Faragonda about this?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What did she say?”

“She… hasn’t reached her decision, sir,” Another swish of fabric as Stella shifted uncomfortably. “Please?”

Palladium nodded. “Very well. Just be prepared to do a lot of catching up. Hopefully this doesn’t become a pattern.”

“It won’t, sir,” Stella piped, her footsteps moving toward the back of the room. 

Musa turned to stare at Tecna. “She says...she says she can’t participate. And it might be a while before she can again. Palladium asked her if she went to Faragonda.”

Tecna’s eyes widened. “Tecna…” Musa began, knowing that she knew  _ something  _ about this whole mess. She took one step forward, which of course was the cue for the regal and utterly proper Countess Lolina of Tenessa to come around the corner. Musa’s voice stuck in her throat. Something about the way Lolina looked at her made Musa feel like she was doing something wrong.   
“Countess _ ,”  _ said Tecna, curtsying slightly, and Lolina glanced at the pair of them before continuing slowly into the room.

Musa sighed. “I  _ know  _ you know something,” she muttered as she followed Lolina and Tecna through the door. Tecna didn’t respond to her (too busy typing into her phone), but Musa could see it in her face.

Something was going on here.

Two minutes later, Professor Palladium stood before the class, smiling as if nothing had happened. 

“Welcome back, fairies. I hope you all enjoyed some of the dance.”

A few freshman groaned, and that was all that was said on the matter. Palladium quickly started the lesson, mostly a lecture on how magic reacts with an individual person, and brought up a debate on whether personality influenced one’s magic source, or the other way around. Musa was prepared to fall asleep by the time the lesson became hands-on.

“Thank you for the input, ladies. Now, time to try one on your own. The personality and magic debate ties in with this one nicely. This spell is meant to reveal the nature of your source of magic to you. It conjures a shape of energy that matches the source of your power in its truest form.” The professor smiled. “However, interpreting the results might be a bit hit-and-miss.” He extended his hand in front of him. “Now the basic movement is just a hand extension, palm upturned, and this incantation:  _ eliquor _ !”

A ball of greenish light appeared in his hand, and quickly formed into the shape of a shield. It glowed brightly, seeming to pulse, before reforming into a sword. The girls oohed. 

Palladium closed his hand, letting the spell dissipate, and smiled modestly.

“Your turn!”

Musa extended her hand and hummed a few notes in her head. “Eliquor!”

Suddenly she was holding a glowing purple sphere. It was small but bright and pulsed like a strobe light. She reached out to touch it with her free hand and immediately heard a smattering of musical notes. Smiling, she pulled her hand away and glanced around her.

She had been the first person to get it right. As far as she could see, most people were saying the words, but not reaching for their magic, so nothing happened. A few people, like Tecna, had summoned sparks, but couldn’t get them to form anything. Eventually she just started grumbling under her breath while staring down at her empty hand.

“Feel your magic, girls!” called Palladium as he came forward to walk between the desks. “Draw it from the source!” He leaned over to correct Countess Lolina’s arm placement - “Careful, Lolina, you’ll blind yourself with your casting hand so near your face!” and paused to help a princess with blue skin and a strong accent with her pronunciation.

Finally, a girl with a dark blonde bob was able to conjure a ball of blinding yellow light that immediately shaped itself into a star. She had to be from Solaria. That reminded Musa of someone - she furtively glanced at the back of the room. Stella was sitting at a desk in the corner with her arms crossed.  _ She’s not even trying. What happened to her? _

“Good, good!” Palladium cried. “Musa and Amaryl have achieved the spell by reaching for their magic. Your task for tomorrow is to do the same. In addition, I expect one page describing the process and interpreting in official terms what the results mean. No asking an upperclassman.” The entire class groaned.

“Chin up, ladies! Every freshman learns this spell in the first week! All the answers you need are in Alfea’s library! And you might learn something about your  **catalog** of  **personality** traits as well!” He smiled, winked and tapped his nose in an exaggerated fashion. “Now! Class dismissed!” The other students stood up and with a massive wave of complaints, began to leave.

Musa was almost to the door when Palladium stopped her.

“Musa, do you have a moment? You can go ahead, Miss Tecna,” Tecna left, and soon she and the Professor were the only ones left in the classroom.

“What is it, Professor?” Musa asked, trying to sound polite.

“I wanted to congratulate you personally. You were the first person to perform the incantation correctly.”

“Oh… thank you,” Musa shrugged. “I don’t think it was a big deal, though.”

Palladium laughed, “Tell your classmates that. I see how you all interact with each other. But even so, I can sense you’re going to do well in this class.”

“I hope so, Professor. Thank you.” She couldn’t help but feel pleased. “Oh, Professor Palladium...you did mean for us to get our information for this report from the library, right?”

Palladium looked comically confused. “Why, of course! The students are to request  _ personality  _ as a keyword at the library catalog! I have prepared a selection of books and articles with Miss Barbatea!”

Musa couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not sure that everyone got that, Professor.”  

Palladium looked stricken. “Oh, dear...I must send a memo with directions for library use! Otherwise, how will they complete the assignment?” Musa could think of at least two good answers but, in the spirit of not being a snitch, kept quiet. “Well, if that’s all, Professor?” She turned to go.

“Oh, one more thing! You share a dorm with Miss Stella, correct?”

“...Yes. Why?” Musa asked. She thought she knew where this was headed.

Palladium paused, searching for a way to answer. “Just keep an eye on her, will you? I don’t think your friend is doing well.”

“Um, Professor, we’re not really friends. I don’t talk to Stella that much, and-”

“Oh dear!” Palladium exclaimed, looking at the clock. “I have juniors coming in at any moment! Please, don’t let me cause you to miss your third class. I need to get ready.”

Just like that, the professor all but shoved her out of the classroom. Confused, Musa began the journey to Transmogrification 

Whatever it was, it smelled like drama. Musa didn’t come to Alfea just to get wrapped up in someone else’s problems. Besides, Stella wasn’t even her friend, right? Musa didn’t make friends with shallow, spoiled little...well, anyway, it wasn’t her business.

Still, one couldn’t help but be curious...

* * *

It wasn’t until after lunch that Musa managed to shake Incantations off. Transmogrification had gone without a hitch: Musa had successfully changed her hair color to brown. Now she was settling into the first Music course she had taken in years.  Finally, the reason she was here.

“Welcome ladies,” the Professor said as she stepped forward to the front of the classroom. Professor Lyra was tall, blue-haired, tan, and given to wearing multicolored robes that made her look like a Solarian bird of paradise. The room was as brightly colored and interesting as she was, yet somehow avoided clashing. Along the tall, curving walls hung thousands instruments, each shrunken enough to fit in a palm. Off on the other side of the room, there was a small recording studio. The smell of polish hung faintly in the air, and every sound seemed clearer thanks to the local acoustics spells.

“I heard about your dance. Very unfortunate. Tell me: was the music alive in you that night?”

“Alive?” A sophomore with navy hair and glasses asked. The teacher shook her head sadly.

“Many of you will not understand what I mean when I say music is connected to magic. Music requires no charm or hex, yet casts powerful spells over many at once. It can’t see inside you, yet penetrates to your deepest feelings. Your subconscious. The power of music is strong, and is a power even non magical beings can access. It is a power all can share, but none truly possess...” 

Musa closed her eyes, listening to Professor Lyra’s voice wash over them, her slight accent giving the sounds a melodic, faraway feeling.

“But for those of you who do, I can teach you wonderful things. I will show you the music of the soul, let you see creatures’ deepest depths. I will lengthen your reach and grip until you can captivate everyone in the sound of yourself.”

“What does that even mean?” a girl off to Musa’s left whispered in her friend’s ear. Her friend giggled softly, catching the professor’s attention.

“Do you have anything to add, ladies?”  _ Wow, she heard that? Does she have super hearing like me?  _ Musa wondered that about all teachers at times. Growing up in Melody didn’t help.

“N-Nothing, Miss Lyra,” the girl who spoke replied quickly, cheeks flushing with shame.

The teacher appraised them, expression unreadable. “Very well. I’ll believe you for now.”

And with that, Professor Lyra gave them a full synopsis of their syllabus. It would involve basic knowledge of every instrument known to the Magic Dimension, sheet music and how to read it, and even a brief history of musical movements and famous pieces. All the while, they would be trained in both vocal skills and the instruments they wished to play, and if they wanted to put in the after-class hours, they could be assisted in learning extra songs or writing their own. The recording studio was open any time outside of class and before curfew with the teacher’s permission, and the classes would all perform in a concert at the end of the year. And the best part: other performance opportunities would be presented throughout the school year, achieved by audition. 

Musa’s head was spinning, heart filling with giddiness. How long had it been since she had this much freedom to practice music? Not since she was a little girl when…

When…  _ that _ happened.

Musa shook her head, forcing her memories into the past where they belonged. Instead, her thoughts turned to the music she’d written in secret, all the limitless volumes she had waiting to finally be performed.

She could do it. She could do it all.

The end of class came entirely too soon, with Professor Lyra passing a written copy of the syllabus out to everyone as they walked out the door. Musa strode to her next class with a lightness in her step, something that hadn’t been there before.

For the first time so far, Musa was completely happy to be at Alfea.

* * *

 

Of course, reality had to hit her like a slap to the face a few hours later. After struggling through a criminally boring Dimensional History intro lesson, she found herself eating her dinner 

alone at a table with Elinor of Delona. Tecna, Stella and Flora were nowhere to be seen, and Bloom was still lying in the infirmary. Stella was probably still freaking out about her ring– she’d seemed pretty upset earlier. 

Musa pushed the food around on her plate, and thought.  _ Maybe I was a little harsh– that ring could be a family heirloom or something.  _ She still didn’t mind having one Stella-free meal, though. 

That reminded her: Tecna knew something about what was going on. Musa had meant to ask her, but hadn’t been given the chance. Gosh, when that girl got on her phone, it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

But Musa had a sneaking suspicion that if she showed an interest in what Tecna was doing, the girl would open right up to her. Her book might not be the easiest to read, but it was definitely an open one.

If only Musa knew where she was…

Let’s see. If she was a fairy who understood machines better than people, where would she go? A computer lab of some sort? Alfea was pretty old-fashioned when it came to technology at times, but Musa was almost sure there’d be something in the library. It was worth a shot, and Musa still had to do that assignment for Incantations.

So she finished up her meal without saying much and made a beeline for the library. Upon asking Miss Barbatea, she was directed to the section of reading materials Palladium had prepared in advance. Tecna had those books and articles in front of her, but also a political column about a civil war from last generation. One of those things was not like the others.

“Hey, Tec. What’cha up to?”

Tecna jumped, eyes going wide before they locked on Musa. She’d been reading the column. “Musa. I came across some rather informative articles. I’d been previously attempting the exercise from Incantations, but became very defeated and-”

“Defeated?”

“Yes. That emotion where you face a problem that will not be solved, and you experience anger at both the task at hand and yourself, particularly your own limited abilities.”

“That’s... not the word I would use for that.” Musa tried to decipher what her roommate was describing. “Defeated usually means you’re facing a more tangible enemy, and sounds pretty permanent. Your issue sounds more frustrating.”

Tecna pulled out some kind of pamphlet, flipping through it faster than Musa could read. “The descriptions sound very similar.”   


“It’s more the connotations.” Musa knew the struggle. Song lyrics took a lot of tries to be perfected or else the emotion wouldn’t come through. “Anyway, that’s not what I came here for.”

“It’s what you asked me about when you approached me. Why ask a question if your purpose was not to receive an answer?”

“Social norm.” Musa got the feeling she would be explaining a lot of this over the years.

Tecna blinked at her, still not fully comprehending. “...I see. What was your true purpose in finding me?”

“Back in Incantations, you seemed to know something about what was going on with Stella. Care to explain?”

And with that, her eyes lit up. “Of course! It’s all quite fascinating, you know. You see, twenty years ago, the kingdom of Solaria and the Lunarian revolutionaries signed a peace treaty that ended their eight-year long civil war. The two rulers of the factions were married and committed to ruling as equals. Of course, their subordinates weren’t always the easiest to keep in line, and there was rampant speculation that Queen Luna was merely getting close to King Radius to assassinate him, but the rumors turned out be illogical and unfactual. However, it was no secret that the two were merely performing their duty in marrying one another, and took almost three years to bear an heir. While the child- Stella, as you may know- originally brought them closer-”   


“I meant what’s going on with Stella now!” Musa interrupted before Tecna could delve into an hour long lecture about modern Solarian history. “Can you skip to the relevant part?”

“It was merely context,” Tecna sniffed. “But very well, if you’re intolerant. The issue is that King Radius and Queen Luna are unwilling to continue their political marriage, and their split- compounded with the fact that King Radius has since sought a more limited government and granting citizens more individual freedoms than they’ve had since the war- has left some very seemingly knowledgeable sources claiming that factions once active in the civil war may be seeking more power for themselves. With such conditions, Princess Stella’s future has been toppled into uncertainty.”   
  


“Still not seeing was this has to do with her not participating in class.” Musa was getting tired of this. “So she’s got it rough at home. If she wants to hold onto succession, shouldn’t she be trying to get more powerful as a fairy?”

“I’m getting to that part!” Tecna was blushing, looking very ‘defeated’. “I believe Stella’s symptoms of magical overdose may have an indirect relation to the political instability of her home nation and that her newfound inability to conjure her Winx is an unintended consequence of the scheme of someone close to her to-”

Before Tecna could finish her thought, a worried-looking Flora appeared before them. Musa watched her as she sat down next to the two fairies. When she came up to their study table, she bent over it instead of sitting down.

“Flora, what’s up?”

The nature fairy let out a ragged-sounding breath. “I went up to see Bloom in the infirmary during our lunch break, and she’s  _ really _ not doing well. It’s like she’s been psychically attacked. She keeps talking about witches... and a ring.”   
Musa dropped a book she’d been holding. “Wait, are you saying that the thing last night is connected to Stella’s ring going missing?”

“I’m sure of it.” Flora made a fist, showing unusual levels of emotion. “They did something to her to keep her from talking. And I’m pretty sure that she’s fighting it, but can’t break through.” 

Musa stared up at Flora. “That’s all pretty awful and, and I don’t mean to be rude by saying this, but: why are you telling me this? Why aren’t you telling Stella? Isn’t Bloom her best friend?” 

“Because I can’t find Stella,” said Flora. “And I’ve got a counterspell for psychic attacks. I found it in the library section over there.” She waved vaguely. “I’ve got the theory, but I just can’t get in the right frame of mind to cast the spell. You were the first one in Incantations who was able to cast the energy spell. I need your help.”

Well, if Flora put it like that...Musa supposed that she couldn’t refuse and still think of herself as a good person. She got up slowly, pulling her bag over her shoulder. “This couldn’t at least wait until after I finish my homework?”

Flora glanced at her over her shoulder. “Visiting hours end in an hour. This spell is pretty complicated. Um… did you want to come with us, Tecna?”

“I don’t see what my presence would contribute to healing Bloom, but I have never seen a psychic attack performed on a person before.” The pink-haired fairy whipped out her phone, turning it to some sort of scanner mode. “I would enjoy analyzing the effects of such a condition. It was an attempt I made earlier, but Nurse Ofelia sent me away.”

Without giving a yes or no, Tecna stood up and followed the two of them out of the library.

“So, what kind of spell did you find, Flora?”

“It’s a multi-parter. Each section is related, but different.”

_ Of course... _

Musa sighed and followed Flora to the first-floor office where Nurse Ofelia received her patients. When they reached the doorway, however, they saw that someone had got there ahead of them. 

Stella of Solaria stood by a cot that was shrouded in privacy curtains, arguing with Nurse Ofelia. “Why  _ can’t  _ you release her to her own dorm? I’m sure she’s fine. Look, she’ll be better in a familiar environment. I’m sure all the off-white and olive green in here  _ can’t  _ be good for her.” 

“Miss Stella,” the nurse replied, sounding very much annoyed, “Miss Bloom will return to her room when she is cured, and not before! And that’s final!” The nurse turned away, making it clear that she would speak no more on the subject.

Stella let out an unhappy sigh and flounced out of the doorway, not appearing to notice her dorm mates standing by as she headed off in the other direction.

“ _ Flora,”  _ Musa hissed, “now’s the time to tell Stella!” But Flora pulled her through the doorway, swiftly, if still gently. 

“I don’t think Stella should know about this yet,” whispered Flora. “And neither should the teachers.” 

Then Flora walked up to the nurse’s table, and said, in a believably worried voice, “Madam Ofelia, I think I’m ill! I’m so cold and shaky...and the ends of my hair are drying up and falling off!” The head nurse jumped to her feet and immediately conjured a symptoms chart – Flora had just mentioned some of the symptoms of magical exhaustion.

“Here, dear, why don’t you lie down?” She took the other fairy’s arm gently and led her to the cot next to Bloom’s and made her hop on. “I’m just going to check your eyes, okay?” Flora nodded and the nurse conjured a light with the spell  _ lumens.  _ Then she made Flora look up, down, straight ahead and turn her head to the side while shining the light at her pupils. Ofelia’s expression got tenser and tenser with every check. Finally she finished and extinguished the light.

Flora looked up at the nurse as pitifully as humanly possible. “Am I okay?

Ofelia pressed her lips together tightly for a moment before she lied, “I’m sure you are, sweetie. Just sit tight for a moment while I fetch something…wait with your friends.” And she ran off into a room in the back.

Flora immediately sat straight up and started rummaging in her bag. While she was doing that, Tecna turned her scanner on Bloom, waving the device around the girl’s head area.

“Anything interesting over there?”

“Fascinating! I can still see the traces of witch magic where the spell hit.”

Before Musa could reply, Flora pulled out a monster of a book called “ _ Magical Maladies and Remedies”  _ and flipped to a bookmarked page. 

“I don’t know how long Ofelia’ll be gone. I’m faking magical exhaustion, but it’s probably so common for freshmen that she has a potion ready-made.” Flora pointed at a heading on the page, which looked like gibberish until the translation spell took effect.  _ Oh wait, still gibberish.  _

“Flora, this is really complicated! There are like five different motions and incantations involved!”

The flower fairy gave Musa a look.

“You sing in different languages, right?” 

“Yes, but-”

“And you dance and play instruments? At the same time?”   
“Yes!” Musa threw up her hands. “ But I don’t see why we can’t just let Nurse Ofelia deal with this!”

Flora pressed her lips tightly together for a moment. “I wanted to tell a teacher at first too. But then I realized that this is bigger than me, because what Bloom knows...might be enough to get Stella expelled. Or worse: all of us.”   
Musa’s eyebrows felt like they were climbing to the top of her face. “Flora-”

“Do you trust me?” Flora met Musa’s gaze steadily.

Musa sighed. “Yes.”

“Well then.” The other fairy turned her gaze briskly on the book. “There are actually only four parts. They can be done with time lapses in between. The first move is an opening incantation and gesture. You make contact with the victim by saying their name and calling out with your magic. Then, with their cooperation, you find the block and remove it with the purifying incantation. Finally, you close the link again.” 

“Any...fatal dangers or pitfalls you need to warn me about? Will I explode if I stutter one of the words?”

“If you don’t close the link properly, then the victim can lose even more memories. Or they’ll be susceptible to more psionic attacks.” Flora winced and held up two fingers close together.

“One more thing. There’s also...a slight, slight chance of melding minds and becoming one entity.”

“ _ What?!” _

Flora made a rapid hushing gesture. 

“That only happens to one in every twenty thousand cases, and it’s almost always reversible! You’re so independent and sure of yourself, there’s no  _ way  _ you’ll get lost in Bloom’s mind.”

Musa sighed and put her hand over her eyes.

“Great. Sharing a brain with the princess of priss. Okay. Fine.”

Flora nodded. “Thank goodness. You’re the only one of us who could do a sophomore level spell. Maybe Stella could with her ring, but…” she shook her head. “The first move is like this.” Flora placed her fingers on her temples briefly, then extended her arms outward, palms up. “ _ Apera.”  _

Musa practiced it a few times without calling her Winx. Just to make sure she had it.

“That’s good. Now you can establish contact before Madam Ofelia comes back!” Flora urged Musa toward the covered cot that held Bloom. “And Tecna! Get your device away from Bloom! I don’t want the signal from that to interfere with the spell!”

Tecna obeyed right away, murmuring that she’d collected sufficient data already. Musa sighed and pushed aside the thick curtains, gasping at what she saw.    
The Earth girl looked awful. Deathly pale, sweating, eyes rolling all over the place, yet not seeming to see anything. She was definitely fighting the spell, and not winning by the looks of it.

“Okay…” Musa put her fingers to her temples and called her magic, then extended her arms.

“ _ Apera _ .” 

Musa’s hearing doubled. 

She was still conscious of the room: Bloom’s feverish movements and Flora’s more quiet breathing, and even Madam Ofelia’s footsteps and rummaging in the supply closet. But there was another layer playing in her mind like a soundtrack. She heard...a pop tune, but not one that she’d heard before. Its cheery notes were contradicted in point by a dramatic, rolling orchestral piece. And the third point was a stuttering techno beat that matched none of it.

“Are you connected?” said Flora from outside the curtain. 

“Yes. Dragon, it’s awful. Pure chaotic noise _. _ She should just pick a genre.”

“...Okay, Musa. You need to find the source of the block. Put your hand on her forehead first, call your magic and say  _ Naniscor.  _ And stay calm, no matter what you might see or hear.”

“Thanks, Flora, that’s really reassuring.” But after glancing over the instructions in the book one more time, Musa approached the head of the bed. She touched Bloom’s forehead with one finger, which glowed purple when she called her magic. 

_ “Naniscor.” _

It was as if the music got three times louder, and more chaotic, almost drowning out the real world around Musa. Her vision blurred and suddenly she was seeing double: she was still in the infirmary, but simultaneously she crouched at the bottom of a dark, deep well, where the music was free to bounce and echo off the walls.

“Musa! Keep searching! Say the incantation!”   
Musa didn’t know how she was going to find a single note in this cacophony, but she called her Winx again and repeated the incantation. She searched through the mess until she heard it, a single tone. It was like...brown noise. Like the screeching of a thousand violins. She gulped.  _ I am going to have the worst headache when this is over. _

“Expungo, Musa!”

Musa repeated the spell and lifted her finger like she was flicking away the impurity. The dysphonia came to a crescendo before finally returning to normal, and when it did the sour note was gone. The multiple genres were still there, but hey. Better was better.   
Footsteps came from the other end of the room. Musa panicked for a second before holding her breath. She prayed to the Dragon that Nurse Ofelia couldn’t see her silhouette.   
“I’ve got your potion, Miss Flora!” Madam Ofelia was saying. “Where did your other friend go?”

“Oh, thank you so much, Madam Ofelia! I think she went to the bathroom!”

Musa twitched nervously and her right sneaker squeaked loudly on the tile. 

“Oh, dear! Excuse me, I am having a bit of indigestion today.”

Tecna piped up. “But I thought you-”

“Not you too! Let me run and get a regularity potion. Drink up before it gets cold, dear,” said Madam Ofelia, and her quickly retreating footsteps almost covered up the sound of Flora magically vanishing her potion.

“Quick, Musa! Close the link and be done!”

_ Crap.  _ Musa glanced at the book once more. 

“Occlaudo,” she whispered, and the noise in her head shut off abruptly. She lifted her hand and closed it, finishing the spell.

It was done. And she had the pounding in her head to prove it.

♬

When Ofelia returned with her digestive potion, she found a happy patient wiping her lips as she drained the last of her potion, as well as a smiling Musa, sitting calmly with her hands behind her back. Tecna was still shooting them confused looks because of their lies, but was smart enough to not say anything.

“I’m really fine, Madame,” Flora insisted. “I’ll just drink some hot digestive tea. I can’t thank you enough.” The three girls left after bombarding her with their gratitude.

Flora wasn’t the only patient to have a miraculous recovery. Thirty minutes after the first two left, Bloom woke, all smiles. She insisted that she’d had a minor stress-related breakdown, and after a checkup Ofelia couldn’t find anything the matter with her. Mental health wasn’t really her specialty, anyway. 

“I’ll go see the counselor as soon as possible, Madame,” said Bloom as she left. “But thank you so much for taking care of me in the meantime. Your potions really work wonders.”

Madame Ofelia couldn’t help but smile as she watched her patient leave. It was days like this that really reminded her why she had become a nurse in the first place. She went back to brewing anti-exhaustion potions, whistling “Dragon Stretch My Hands” as she did so. 

♬

Crouching inside an empty classroom waiting for a psychically spelled fairy to wake up was not the craziest thing that Musa had ever done with friends. But it was definitely up there. 

She and Flora had to wait for twenty minutes with their ears pressed up against the door (Tecna was too busy analyzing her data to bother listening) before Musa heard Bloom’s telltale warble, and another few minutes before her footsteps could be - going right. Musa nodded at Flora and they ducked out, following Bloom around a corner before Flora called out to her gently.    
The fairy turned, putting a hand up to her heart in shock.

“Musa,” Bloom greeted her for the first time since her cringeworthy club invitation. “You were…in my mind.”

Musa resisted the urge to deny this awkward fact and run away.    
“That’s true. I was countering your psychic block.” She gestured weakly at Flora. “Flora found an incantation in a book. It didn’t look too hard, so I-”

Bloom cut off Musa’s access to her air stream with a constricting squeeze of a hug. Musa tried to wiggle out, to no avail.

“Musa! You did that for me?”

Musa tried to push her away. “Look, it’s really not a-”

“You have  _ no idea _ what it was like in there! I was so scared!”

“Woah woah woah. Why were you so scared?”

“I was looking for some scissors in the storeroom, but then I ended up in this passage deep under the school. And then I saw…”

Bloom’s expression suddenly blanked. One moment she was telling her story, eyes almost comically widened, and then there was nothing, as if someone had flicked a switch.

“Bloom?” Flora shook her shoulder gently.

“...and the next minute, I was running into Tecna,” Bloom finished, smiling. Then she frowned. “Wait, that’s not right. There was something in between, but I don’t remember!” She looked almost upset enough to cry.

_ Uh oh _ . Either this was a part of the psychic attack, or Musa had bungled the incantation horribly. Flora saw her alarmed face and took to prodding Bloom.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’m sure things will come to you. You’re just exhausted.”

“Do you remember anything about the witch who attacked you?” Tecna piped up, not looking up from her phone. Musa looked over her shoulder, only to see Tecna scanning through the psychic data she had collected from Bloom. The results came up negative before Bloom could reply.

“No. I know there were witches, though. They were at the school dance!”

Flora nodded encouragingly. “Yes, Bloom. Three witches were caught sabotaging the dance last night. Were they the ones who attacked you?”

Tecna cut in. “I wonder, do you think all three of those freshman combined their magic to create such destruction?”

Flora answered first. “Well, I would think so. Their spell has a really wide range, and they  _ are _ just freshman.”

“Why? What do you mean, Tec?”

“Well, according to the results of my magical signature reader, the magic residue left on Bloom and the residue left in the main hall from the dance have completely different power sources. Their only common point is that both originate from a witch. Now, if two of the witches set the monsters on Alfea and the third attacked Bloom- or any such scenario- this contradiction is neatly resolved. If that isn’t the case-”

“We have two culprits on our hands.” Flora finished. “One caught, and one who got away.”

“Ones who ruined the dance, and one who attacked Bloom.”

“And whoever it was, they stole Stella’s ring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PTV: First thing’s first, I feel like an apology is in order. We kinda left you all hanging for… what is it now? Two years? I don’t think either of us meant to abandon this story. At least, not without an explanation. We are very sorry to have done that.  
> I may not write for Winx anymore, but I fully intend to continue this story for as long as T-Duck wants to work with me. Musa may not be quite as fun to write as Tecna, but she was always my favorite Winx girl, and I think this is a story that deserves to be told. I hope we still have readers, and that our readers will enjoy this new chapter as much as they enjoyed the ones before it. Perhaps one day I will go through and fix the minor grammar issues.
> 
> Well, that’s all I wanted to say. T-Duck?
> 
> TDUAK: It has been a long, long long time. In the two years that this story has been on hiatus, I’ve done so many things, changed so much, that I think this story will have a completely different feel to it. I officially became an adult in the past two years, and the struggles that came with that have definitely helped me empathize more with the characters, and consequently, to be a better writer.  To our fans, I hope you haven’t completely given up on this. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> Sidenote: This will be known as the night that A New Reality buried canon. It is turning into a completely different beast. Not just the tone, but the genre (I think we’re now a mystery story after this chapter?) and the plot itself. From here on out we’re going to diverge even more. We’ll continue to write as long as it’s fun and we have inspiration.   
> And believe me, it’s a lot of fun to play around in such a big universe with so many planets and players.
> 
> PTV: Oh yeah, it’s gonna be different for sure. Major events will likely stay the same, but for everything in between… we make no promises. There’s some stuff we don’t even know at this point in time.
> 
> But thanks for tuning back in, and I hope you aren’t TOO mad at us.


End file.
